640 Hon. Ivor Churchill Guest [[May 21, 



as the occurrence of periods of war or anarchy, when the woods were 

 neglected, or the accident of great lire, or the advent of diseases 

 fatal to tree life at present unknown to us, at any rate in our 

 cUmate. Writing off the one possibihty, or rather probabihty, of 

 increase of retui-ns, against the other possibilities of loss, my own 

 opinion is that the estimates that are set out in our Report may be 

 accepted as sound and accurate, and that if afforestation is carried 

 out on the lines we have advocated, the resulting benefits will, in 

 fact, be realised by the State. 



A further point remains to be considered. If afforestation is 

 practicable and desirable, by whom, and in what manner should it be 

 undertaken ? Some people think that private landowners should be 

 encouraged by precept or example with the further inevitable help of 

 State credit to afforest their own land, but I think I have already 

 disposed of that contention, and in the absence of any extensive and 

 systematic planting by private owners it seems unlikely that sub- 

 stantial progress on a large scale is to be expected from this source. 



Others have proposed a scheme of co-operation between the 

 private owner and the State whereby the owner furnishes the land 

 and the State the money. It is not inconceivable that in rare 

 instances some progress might be made on these lines, but if we 

 consider the inevitable difficulties which arise from divided ownership 

 and dual control, to say nothing of other obvious objections, it does 

 not do to regard this proposal with optimism. 



There remains therefore, the only alternative of direct State 

 Afforestation. No doubt State Afforestation would necessitate 

 powers for the compulsory acquisition of land. I do not mean that 

 most of the land needed could not be acquired by voluntary negotia- 

 tion, but some compulsion would be necessary where negotiation 

 broke down. I may mention the fact that the acquisition of a large 

 area on Salisbury Plain by the War Office, although in the main the 

 result of private negotiation, was not accomplished without a Bill in 

 Parhament. Our proposal is that the State should take such powers 

 as they possess in dealing with the provision of Small Holdings, and 

 that subject to the safeguards to private owners which exist in that 

 Act, they should proceed on the same lines. The price paid should 

 be a fau" price and no more. 



I have now outlined the case for British Sylviculture ; it remains 

 to consider the present situation. It is true the destinies of Afforestii- 

 tion are still on the knees of the Gods, but the Government seem 

 inclined to make a start in an experimental manner. There is much 

 to be said for being tentative, but an experiment in tree-growing is 

 likely to be rather a lengthy operation. On the other hand, it is 

 probably prudent to begin on a small scale, and on carefully selected 

 ground. A forest of moderate dimensions would not put too 

 great a strain on our resources or supply of men and material. 

 We shall doubtless learn much as we proceed. We shall test the 



