Sept. 1885.] EDITORIAL NOTES. 279 



Editorial Kotes. 



The Select Committee on Irish iNDUSTRiEy. — In the draft of 

 the preliminaiy report prepared by the chairman, Sir Eardley Wilraot, 

 to be submitted to the House of Commons, no matter is deemed 

 more urgent than the reafforesting the thousands of acres of waste 

 land in Ireland. The plea of the reintroduction of ancient industries 

 dependent on wood charcoal is dismissed, in view of the unlimited 

 coal supplies of the neighbouring parts of the British islands. 

 " But it has been given in evidence that planting is very much 

 needed as a shelter for men and animals ; for the protection of all 

 agricultural crops from the force of the prevailing winds ; for the 

 retention and enrichment of the soil on the mountain slopes ; for the 

 prevention of further denudation of uplands, and of the downpour of 

 silt, which, descending in enormous quantities, blocks up streams 

 and watercourses, obstructing drains, and causing destruction by 

 floods and torrents, as in the case of the Bann, the Shannon, and 

 other rivers. The importance of forestry in regard to all the 

 liandicrafts of manufactures, in which wood forms an essential 

 ingredient, has been largely demonstrated, while the industries 

 dependent on the supply of willows and osiers show that a very 

 important manufacture cannot be carried out successfully without an 

 abundant supply of home-grown material." 



EiVER Pollution. — The rivers Chess and Colne received such a 

 body of refuse from paper-mill boilers on their banks that an 

 official inquiry was recently made into the causes of their pollution. 

 The official inspector encouraged those who were determined to take 

 action against this nuisance to a whole neighbourhood. Since this, 

 the obnoxious mills have closed, owing to lack of esparto grass caused 

 by the outbreak of cholera in Spain, and there is now a purity of 

 water in both rivers to which the inhabitants on their banks have 

 been strangers for years. The modified bill introduced by Mr. 

 Hastings at the instance of the National Society to secure effective 

 legislation against river pollution, was amongst the innocents 

 slaughtered at the close of the late session. Lord Abinger, 

 Chairman of this Society, having its offices at 6 The Sanctuary, 

 Westminster, has issued an appeal for more funds. 



