Apparently the idea is that throughout a series of years the 

 proprietor thinks he might get a more certain and a more 

 economical management through a Government department 

 than from a succession of foresters obtained in the ordinary way 

 by his heirs or successors, who might not be so interested in 

 forestry as he is himself. In that case you see the proprietor 

 does practically everything except manage, and his share of 

 the ultimate proceeds would be almost all the entire available 

 sums for division. I only bring this to your notice in order 

 that you may see how elastic this may be made. I do not say 

 that all these schemes will eventually be carried out, because 

 that depends upon the Treasury as much as upon any other 

 department, but these are schemes which the Board is consider- 

 ing, and which the Board will be prepared to recommend for 

 assistance from public funds. 



" I do not think that I can add anything of value to the 

 discussion of this conference to-day. I can only repeat that 

 I am grateful for the opportunity on behalf of my Board of 

 attending this meeting, and I trust this Society will continue 

 to exert an active and progressive interest upon the develop- 

 ment of forestry. It appears to me that the Society has a very 

 great and important future before it, and I would like, if I may, 

 to assure the Society of the interest which the Secretary for 

 Scotland takes in forestry. I know from personal knowledge 

 that he is enthusiastically in favour of doing whatever is 

 possible for the development of this great industry. The 

 Board of Agriculture in the past has been accused, I think, of 

 indifference to forestry. If this opinion was common in a 

 period when the Forestry Division of the Board was under the 

 control of so able and so enthusiastic a forester as my colleague, 

 Mr Sutherland, I am afraid that I, who am merely a locum 

 tenens, can do nothing to shake that opinion. I can only assure 

 you that the Board is not, and never was, indifferent to forestry. 

 It has been my duty during the last month or two to endeavour 

 to understand some of the problems of forestry, and speaking 

 very humbly and merely as a layman, it appears to me that 

 forestry, no matter under what administration, can only develop 

 successfully if certain conditions are fulfilled, and that these 

 conditions are three. In the first place, there must be a 

 sufficient supply of public funds to encourage and assist the 

 industry. In the second place, we must have a sufficient number 



