ORGANISATION OF THE CHINESE FOREST SERVICE. II7 



important river-sheds, thus tending to prevent floods, droughts, 

 and the silting-up of river bottoms, with a consequent obstruc- 

 tion to navigation, and the frequent bursting of dykes, the 

 construction of which, in the first place, was caused largely, if 

 not wholly, by the deposits of silt washed down from the 

 deforested slopes. 



3. To protect by technical forestry management, involving 

 wise use, such public forest resources as still exist. 



4. To encourage similar activities by private parties by 

 demonstrating that forestry in China is an attractive financial 

 investment, and by supplying needed advice and practical 

 assistance. 



5. To conduct a vigorous pro-forestry propaganda through- 

 out China, showing to all classes of people the present national 

 need for forestry, what deforestation and reforestation mean 

 individually to the people, and the steps which the Government 

 is taking and proposes to take to better the situation. 



6. To train up a corps of young Chinese to carry on the 

 various lines of forestry work in China, and to encourage and, 

 if possible, to assist in the giving of similar instruction in the 

 educational institutions already established. 



Although the general control of the activities of the Forest 

 Service was immediately centred in the office of the director- 

 general, working under the approval of the Minister and through 

 the two co-directors, a further and more specialised organisa- 

 tion into divisions soon became urgently called for, in order to 

 ensure that all the various activities which the Forest Service 

 must or should perform would be carried out with the highest 

 possible degree of efficiency, economy, and harmony. It is 

 evident, of course, that without such a clearly-defined segrega- 

 tion of duties or responsibilities, there must inevitably be more 

 or less duplication of work and loss of efficiency, and, what 

 is equally important, the Service would fail to secure the 

 benefits which result from training its new personnel to become 

 real experts in the particular branch of forestry for which, by 

 inclination and ability, they are best fitted. Thus, in February 

 1916, the Minister approved the creation of six divisions, 

 namely, the Divisions of Investigation, of Reforestation, of Pro- 

 paganda, of Education, the Provincial Division, and the Clerical 

 Division. It is also planned to appoint a forest commissioner 

 in each province who, with a staff of assistants, will encourage 



