ORGANISATION OF THE CHINESE FOREST SERVICE. 12 1 



a constant correspondence with all provincial forest com- 

 missioners, acknowledging and commenting upon their monthly 

 reports, making suggestions, offering criticisms, keeping them 

 informed of the progress made in other provinces, etc. He 

 will know how the forestry funds of each province are being 

 spent, and he will compare such expenditure with the 

 results obtained. When called upon, he will be able to give 

 a reliable, frank opinion in regard to the faithfulness and 

 ability of each provincial forest commissioner, and of his 

 technical assistant or assistants, if any. 



The success of the provincial forest commissioner organisa- 

 tion will largely depend upon the chief of this division. If left 

 to themselves, it may be expected that in most cases there will 

 be but little work or only perfunctory work. Without constant 

 prodding and stimulation, the provincial organisations will soon 

 become moribund and the money spent for their upkeep will 

 be largely or wholly wasted. Even if individual forest com- 

 missioners are willing to work, they have to be told what 

 to do, not only once, but repeatedly, and slowly and patiently 

 trained to their duties. The best forest commissioners must 

 be shown that their work is known and appreciated ; and the 

 poorer ones must be given to understand that the Ministry is 

 not unaware of their failure. It is, of course, desirable that 

 each forest commissioner should have received technical training 

 in forestry, but at present, and for a long time to come, this will 

 be possible of realisation only in a comparatively few cases. 

 The best that we can hope for is to secure a forest commissioner 

 who is actively interested in the promotion of forestry in his 

 province, who appreciates its importance, and who has the 

 influence, energy, and ability to impress such views upon the 

 people at large, We hope to be able to supply most, if not 

 all, such forest commissioners with one or more assistants 

 who have received some technical training. We also plan to 

 maintain a corps of trained assistants to travel from province 

 to province, inspecting and reporting upon the work and attitude 

 of the forest commissioner in each. 



In discussing this division I have, of necessity, often used the 

 future tense; for up to the present time its organisation on 

 paper has not been fully translated into actual practice. 

 Obviously, the chiefship of this division demands qualities of 

 a very special type, the possessor of which is very difficult to 



