1 62 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Chairman. — " Mr Stebbing, do you accept the addition?" 



Mr Stebbing. — " I do not know that there is any precedent 

 for this kind of thing in any other department. I do not see 

 why we should think Ministers should make a departure in the 

 case of forestry. It seems to me all this simply means delay, 

 and what I feel is that when the war stops there are going 

 to be much bigger things than forestry to be settled by the 

 Cabinet, that forestry will be swamped, and we will have another 

 fifteen years and nothing done." 



Sir Hugh Shaw-Stewart. — " I only suggested this addendum 

 to meet the opposition. Of course, if it is not going to be 

 unanimous, I shall withdraw it." 



Sir John Stirling-Maxwell. — " Mr Stebbing seems to be 

 satisfied with things as they are, and looks forward to develop- 

 ment on the present lines. Has it occurred to him how many 

 strata of ignorance there are at the head of the present 

 administration ? Forestry policy is directed by the Develop- 

 ment Commission which sits in Dean's Yard, not far from 

 Whitehall. They have the money and they direct the policy. 

 The Secretary for Scotland comes next. He does not pretend 

 to be a trained forester; he is the head of the Board of 

 Agriculture here. Below him comes Sir Robert Wright as 

 Chairman of the Board. He is entirely ignorant of forestry, 

 and he has never assisted us except in one flamboyant speech 

 when it was suggested that the control of forestry should be 

 removed from his department. Next under Sir Robert Wright 

 is a fourth stratum of ignorance in the person of Dr Greig, 

 who is the head of the forestry department. He is a delightful 

 man, and we all respect him as an agriculturist, but he admits 

 he knows nothing about forestry. Under all that you have 

 the technical advisers. They have not always been consulted 

 in the past, and they will not always be consulted in the 

 future, as to the proposals to be made. I say without the 

 least hesitation, if things remain as they are, forestry has not 

 the slightest chance of being wisely done or being successful." 



Mr C. G. Patterson, Castle Huntly. — The real purpose of 

 the motion is to express what the Arboricultural Society 

 considers is the ideal way in which forestry should be established 

 in Scotland, and we are going to use, if I understand it, our 

 best endeavours to get that adopted. While we are doing 

 that the system which Mr Stebbing is supporting at present 



