NEWS AND NOTES 



507 



England's Progressive Policy 



That policies known in America as Roose- 

 -veltian are finding favor in England is evi- 

 dent by the recent speech by the chancellor 

 of the exchequer, Mr. Lloyd George. In 

 addressing the Commons on his budget pro- 

 posals, he said in part : 



'"A state can and ought to take a larger 

 and wider view of its investments than indi- 

 viduals. The resettlement of deserted and 

 impoverished parts of its own territories 

 might not bring to its coffers a direct return 

 which would reimburse it fully for its 

 expenditure, but the indirect enrichment of 

 its resources would more than compensate 

 for any apparent or immediate loss. Any 

 man who has crossed and recrossed Eng- 

 land from north to south and from east to 

 west, must have been perplexed at finding 

 there was so much waste and wilderness 

 possible in such a crowded little island. 



'This brings me straight," Mr. Lloyd 

 George continued, "to the question of affor- 

 estation. There is a very general agree- 

 ment that some steps should be taken in the 

 direction, and I will not say of afforesta- 

 tion, but of re-afforestation of the waste 

 land of this country. Here, again, we are 

 far behind every civilized country in the 

 world. In Germany, for instance, out of 

 a total area of 133,000,000 acres, 34,000,000, 

 or nearly twenty-five per cent, are wooded. 

 In France, out of 130,000,000 acres, seven- 

 teen per cent are wooded. In the United 

 Kingdom, out of 7,000,000 acres, only 3,000,- 

 000, or four per cent, are under wood. The 

 number of people directly employed in forest 

 work in this country is only 16,000, and yet 

 the climate and soil of this country are just 

 as well adapted for the growth of market- 

 able trees as those of the estates of Ger- 

 many. 



"Recently we have been favored with a 

 striking report of a royal commission, which 

 outlines a very comprehensive and far- 

 reaching scheme for planting the wastes of 

 this country. The systematic operation 

 which the commissioner recommends is a 

 gigantic one, and before the government 

 can be committed to it in all its details it 

 will require very careful consideration by a 

 body of experts skilled in forestry. I am 

 informed that there is a good deal of pre- 

 liminary work which ought to be under- 

 taken before the government can safely 

 begin planting on the large scale indicated 

 in that report. 



"I win tell _ the house what we propose 

 to do : There is a certain amount of money, 

 not verv_ much, .=pcnt in this country in "a 

 spasmodic kind of way, on what I may call 

 the work of national development — in" light 

 railways, in harbors, in indirect but very 

 meager assistance to agriculture. I propose 

 to gather all these grants together into one 

 national development grant, and to put in 

 this year an additional sum of £200,000 for 

 these purposes. Legislation will have to be 

 introduced, and I will then explain the 



objects in greater detail, but the grant will 

 be used in the promotion of schemes which 

 have for their purpose the development of 

 the resources of the country. 



"It will include such objects as the insti- 

 tution of schools of forestry, the purchase 

 and preparation of land for afforestation, 

 the setting up of a number of experimental 

 forests upon a large scale, expenditure upon 

 scientific research in the interests of agri- 

 culture, experimental farms, the improve- 

 ment of stock, the equipment of agencies for 

 disseminating agricultural instruction, the 

 encouragement and the promotion of coop- 

 eration, the improvement of rural transport 

 so as to make markets more accessible, the 

 facilitation of all well-considered schemes 

 for attracting labor back to the land by 

 small holdings or reclamations of wastes. 

 Every acre of land brought into a higher 

 state of cultivation means more labor of a 

 healthy and productive character; it means 

 more abundant, cheaper and better food for 

 the people." 



}^' J^' U? 



Women Saving the Big Trees 



There is joy in the heart of the western 

 tourist this summer, as well as in the hearts 

 of Californians, because the famous Big Trees 

 are to be saved from the wanton hand of the 

 destroyer. 



For years the destruction of the Big Trees 

 has been going on. In 1906 the lumber cut 

 of the Big Trees amounted to 8,500,000 feet. 

 The oldest living things in the world were 

 destroyed for cheap lumber. And while the 

 trees were being cut — for a period of years — 

 a band of California women, headed by Mrs. 

 Lovcll White, was making a valiant fight to 

 interest the Government in their salvation. 



After repeatedly failing to pass the House, 

 a bill was introduced and favorably voted 

 upon at the last session. By the bill, which 

 was signed by President Roosevelt, the Cala- 

 ^■eras National Forest is created, and the 

 Big Trees saved for all time. The 500 and 

 more California women are justly proud of 

 their victory, and Mrs. White, radiant that 

 the loved trees will be protected, has won 

 their salvation bv one of the most unique 

 campaigns of lobbying in the history of the 

 country. — Ex. 



&' i« ^' 



Fall River to Acquire Woodlands 



State Forester Rane, of Massachusetts, is 

 a stanch advocate of the plan advocated by 

 the American Civic Association for the es- 

 tablishment of municipal forests. Throu.gh 

 proper forcstation of drainage basins and 

 'ources of water supply, it is urged bv State 

 Forester Rane, citizens not only will be edu- 

 cated in the advantages of forestry, but a 

 source of municipal income will be devel- 

 oped. Forester Rane recently drafted a plan 

 for Fall River which eventually will mean 

 3,000 acres of woodland. 



