FORESTRY RECONSTRUCTION. 75 



funds and powers to survey, purchase, lease and plant land and 

 generally to administer the areas acquired, with compulsory 

 powers to be exercised, when needed, after due enquiry and 

 the award of fair compensation. The care of forestry, now 

 divided among several departments, should be centralised in 

 this body." 



The report is signed by all the members of the Sub-Committee, 

 subject to reservations by two of its members. Alone of his 

 colleagues Mr Bromley, of the Treasury, is not convinced of the 

 necessity for creating a new Central Department of P'orestry ; 

 and he reminds us that the Board of Agriculture for Scotland 

 was specially charged with the promotion of forestry in Scotland 

 as one of its most important duties, a fact which, perhaps, those 

 of us who happen to live in Scotland may be excused for having 

 forgotten. 



Lord Lovat, on the other hand, sees in the record of the 

 Scottish Board of Agriculture with regard to forestry a very 

 convincing argument for a new authority, and wishes to lay 

 particular stress upon the importance of this part of the 

 recommendations of the Sub-Committee. Signs are not wanting 

 that some controversy will be aroused by the recommendation 

 of a single Forest Authority. There have been letters to the 

 Scotsman, pilgrimages to St Andrew Square, representing farmers 

 and factors, to protest against the removal of the control of 

 forestry from Scotland ; in the case of the deputation from the 

 Chamber of Agriculture, the pilgrimage was made before the 

 publication of the report, to request that silviculture should 

 remain under the fostering care of the Board of Agriculture for 

 Scotland. 



It is always fatally easy to get up a cry that Scottish interests 

 will suffer by a change in administration, and many patriotic 

 people without any special knowledge will always be ready to 

 join in the cry. But they should first examine the facts for them- 

 selves. The report establishes beyond the possibility of doubt 

 the fact that Scottish interests in forestry have suffered under 

 the present administration, when the progress in England and 

 Ireland is compared to the stagnation in Scotland. And to 

 what does the recommendation of the report amount? The 

 ultimate control of forestry in Scotland is at present not in 

 Scotland but at Dover House, Whitehall. The report proposes 

 to transfer the ultimate control from Dover House, and from a 



