EDITORIAL COMMENT <);)9 



consideration all questions which may be brought to its notice relating 

 to the conservation and better utilization of the natural resources of 

 Canada, to make such inventories, collect and disseminate such in- 

 formation, conduct such investigations inside and outside of Canada, 

 and frame such recommendations as seem conducive to the accom- 

 ])lishment of that end."' 



The Commission was in no sense an executive or administrative 

 body ; its duties were only to study, investigate and advise. Twenty 

 Commissioners were appointed, consisting of the Ministers of Agricul- 

 ture. Interior, and Mines in the Dominion Government ; the member 

 of each provincial government charged with the administration of the 

 natural resources of such province, and a number of prominent citizens 

 drawn from business life and the universities. The Commissioners 

 were to receive no salaries as such, but only reimbursement for ex- 

 penses in connection with attendance at meetings, etc. The paid 

 staff of the Commission consisted of a small number of technical ex- 

 perts, clerical and stenographic help, and the Secretar}-, Mr. James 

 White, later appointed Assistant to Chairman and Deputy Head. The 

 active work of the Commission was organized under the Committees 

 on Forests ; Lands ; Minerals : Fisheries, Game and Fur-Bearing Ani- 

 mals ; Press and Co-operating Organizations ; Public Health ; and 

 Waters and Water-Powers. 



From the inception of the Commission, particular interest was shown 

 in forestry. A vigorous educational campaign as conducted, to stimu- 

 late public interest in forest conservation and a large amount of ma- 

 terial was published. There was consistent advocacy of more adequate 

 protection of forests from fires, insects and disease ; the organization 

 of forest services with duties to include timber administration; the 

 establishment of permanent forest reserves ; the adoption of the merit 

 system of appointments in forest services ; silvicultural research ; land 

 classification ; forest planting ; the inventorying of forest resources, sci- 

 entific regulation of cutting methods, and other measures calculated 

 to bring about the more adequate protection and administration of the 

 forest resources of Canada. A field staff of trained foresters was 

 built up, which had succeeded in making an excellent start toward an 

 inventory of the forest resources of the country. 



Another line of work, in which valuable progress had been made, 

 was silvicultural research on cut-over pulp-wood lands in eastern 

 Canada, in which was involved the financial co-operation of a number 

 of the prominent pulp and paper companies, and either the co-opera- 



