326 ATTACK ON FRENCH FOREST SERVICE. [March 



pupils from the Nancy School, who are mere theoreticians, while 

 the real workers, wlio are the foresters in charge of the woods, 

 are practically excluded by them from the higher ranks of the 

 administration. 



To remedy the abuses as above set forth, it was proposed by the 

 Opposition — 



(1) To reduce the Inspector-Generals of Forests, as well as a 

 considerable number of the higher officers of the Department. 



(2) To free the Muuicipal_ Forests belonging to the communes 

 or parishes from forest supervision. 



(3) To introduce a system of forest management wliich would 

 permit much more extended annual fellings in the State forests, 

 and so realize a higher revenue. 



(4) To reduce half the teaching staff of the Nancy School, and so 

 level down the standard of education there to the standard of the 

 secondary school for forest subordinates at Banes, thus ensuring a 

 fair start in the service to botli classes of pupils. 



The specious cleverness under which the attack was veiled, 

 seemed for a moment to command the ear of the House ; but most 

 happily the singularly clear, able, and practical speech of the 

 Minister of Agriculture (M. Meline) swept away the objections one 

 by one, and finally secured a majority sufficient to save the French 

 Forest Service from what would ha^'e been its veritable annihilation 

 as a scientific body. 



It is proposed now briefly to review the above discussion, and 

 to see what lessons may be learned from it. 



In regard to the first two charges — (1) that the service is over- 

 officered, and (2) that it is unpopular — they no doubt contain a 

 certain amount of truth ; for, as the great liberator of his country 

 (Mons. Thiers) observed, " to effect any real economy in the public 

 service in France, the first step would be to diminish the number 

 of the employes ; " and this has not yet been done, for, as he adds, 

 " for this it woidd be necessary to change the whole system of 

 public administration." Under this liead the Minister made a wise 

 concession, by the suppression of tliree recently-formed conserva- 

 tions of forests, and other administrative changes, which effected a 

 saving of about £12,000 a year. This probably enabled him to 

 carry the rest of his proposals. As regards the unpopularity of the 

 Forest Ser^^ce among tlie rural populations, something no doubt 

 also might be said ; for it is next to impossible, if the forest officers 

 do their duty, that it should be otherwise. The little village 

 aldermen, who in each French parish or commune manage the 

 communal property, would in nine cases out of ten, on the " I 

 scratch you, you scratch me " j)rinciple, vote away the produce of 



