l80 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



in forestry. It forms part of the Department of Forestry at the 

 same University, under Professor R. S. Troup, which is the most 

 important training centre. Its members visit African territories 

 from time to time; thus Professor Troup has studied the forests 

 of Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika; Mr. Oliphant visited South 

 and West Africa before taking up his appointment; Dr. Burtt 

 Davy has wide experience in the Transvaal and other parts of 

 Africa, and is the leading British authority on forest botany, so 

 that Oxford has become a centre for the identification of Empire 

 trees and woods. At the Empire Conference of 1935, a resolution 

 was passed to the effect that the institute could be of still greater 

 value to Empire forestry if it were more fully staffed and financed 

 for research. Since few African administrations can employ a staff 

 of specialist forestry officers sufficient to study all the problems 

 which arise, it was suggested that with greater financial support 

 the institute might maintain a staff of research workers who could 

 undertake short terms of intensive work, as required by the differ- 

 ent territories. 



The Colonial Forest Resources Development Department, with Major 

 F. M. Oliphant as Forest Economist, was formed in 1936. It is in 

 close relation with the Forest Products Research Laboratory at Princes 

 Risborough, a research establishment of the Department of Scien- 

 tific and Industrial Research, which was enlarged in 1930 as a 

 result of a Government grant of ^£'30,000. This station is concerned 

 with research on wood and wood products, and undertakes the 

 testing of Empire timbers, determining their properties and bring- 

 ing them to the notice of manufacturers. While the Empire Market- 

 ing Board existed, testing was done free for the colonies, but now 

 a charge is made which makes it difficult for the smaller colonies 

 to make full use of the laboratory. Major F. M. Ofiphant has 

 recently made two visits to the West African colonies and another 

 to East Africa to study and report on the forestry situation, par- 

 ticularly with a view to improving the preparation of woods for 

 export and developing closer co-operation between producers and 

 manufacturers (Oliphant, F. M. 1934a and b, 1935, 1937). 



The Imperial Institute Advisory Committee on Timbers, which is 

 composed of voluntary members of the wood-using professions and 

 trades, has done valuable work in advising on the development of 



