REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY. 349 
officers to various parts of the world, to the Cape, the Mauritius, 
Ceylon, and Cyprus, for example; but those men are always 
returned to us again, for this simple reason, that the Colonies will 
not offer proper conditions. They want to have the men, and be 
able to discharge them again at their will and pleasure. At the 
same time, the Government of India, although ready to help the 
Colonies, says, ‘ We cannot let you have experienced men for the 
best portion of their working time, and then take them back 
again when they are becoming due for pension ; that is not fair. 
We will help you, but you must offer those men proper conditions, 
and if you want them for any length of time you must take them 
on permanently.’ The result up to the present day, with one 
single exception, has been that the men always return to us ; but 
we have been always ready to let the Colonies have the men if 
they will take them on permanently.”—“ Has the Indian Forest 
Service at the present day a larger number of officials than it 
requires?” “It has not; but it has always been considered good 
policy to help the Colonies in this way. We have a staff of about 
160 superior officers, and if we let one of the officers go away, we 
can do with 159 until we replace him, The young men sent out 
from England are supernumeraries until they are absorbed into 
the regular scale, so that we can fill up a vacancy in the course of 
a short time.” 
“Do you think it would be better, if a forest school were 
organised for this country, that it should be a Government 
institution, rather than that the endeavour should be made to 
induce a private institution to develop a course of forestry 
instruction?” ‘I should think, generally speaking, it would hardly 
make any difference whether it were a Government or a private 
institution, provided instruction were given upon the right lines.” 
—‘ Colonel Pearson expressed strongly the opinion that, whether 
it were a private or a Government institution, it was necessary for 
it to have access to a certain amount of woodland of a character 
suitable for the purpose ; do you concur in that view?” “To train 
a real forester it is absolutely necessary.’”—‘‘ Dr Brown was rather 
of opinion that the instruction might be given mainly from 
lectures and books ; but you agree with Colonel Pearson that it 
would be necessary to have access to, and control over, a suitable 
extent of woodland?” ‘“ Will you let me explain what I mean a 
little in detail? If it is a case of officers of the class we educate 
for India, or if it is a case of educating practical wood managers 
