THE society's JUBILEE DINNER, 33 



did not know, and he was not there to suggest, how that could 

 be carried out, but there was no doubt that something would 

 be done in the way of planting up the Talla water, and they 

 might, by conferring together, manage to arrange something of 

 the kind. He had not the slightest doubt, from what he knew 

 of the members of the Edinburgh and District Water Trust, that 

 they would give it their careful attention. He coupled the 

 toast with the names of Bailie Murray, Senior Magistrate of 

 the city, and ex-Bailie Anderson, Treasurer of the Water Trust. 



Bailie Murray, in reply, said he had to express his regret 

 that the Lord Provost was not there with them that night. He 

 took occasion that day, knowing that he was coming there, to 

 get some data in connection with what the Corporation had 

 done in regard to open spaces, parks, gardens, and bowling- 

 greens, and it might interest them to know that within the 

 last twenty years they had acquired these different properties 

 at Blackford Hill, Inverleith Park, Braid Hills, Roseburn Park, 

 Portobello Park, and Saughton Park, at a total cost of ;,{^ 14 1,200. 

 In regard to bowling-greens, twenty years ago they had only 

 two, and now they had sixteen bowling-greens in all, costing 

 on an average ^300 each in construction. These, of course, 

 required a considerable amount of upkeep, but it was pleasing to 

 know that their working-class population really enjoyed them, 

 and he was perfectly sure that the citizens did not grudge 

 the extra rate which these parks and bowling-greens entailed 

 upon the city. Out of 2s. 8d. in the jQ^ he thought he was 

 right in saying that the whole of them did not cost the ratepayers 

 more than three farthings in the j[^. Mr Methven said that 

 members of the Town Council went in with axes to grind; if 

 their axes were very sharp they might make good foresters. 

 That might be a very useful hint to those Town Councillors 

 who were not members of this Arboricultural Society when they 

 entered the Town Council. He was fortunate in being a 

 member of the Arboricultural Society, and he had not ground 

 any axe yet. As to the afforesting of the watershed of the 

 Talla, this question had not been under discussion. It had 

 been mooted, certainly, and they had had some request by 

 the Board of Agriculture in regard to it, and by and by they 

 would be able to give an answer to it. He was sure of this, 

 that a number of members who had taken an interest in 

 this question were quite of opinion that it would pay a great 

 VOL. xviii. c 



