SOCIETY'S MEETING Willi INTERIM FOREST AUTHORITY. 35 



you know, in England and Ireland contributes largely to 

 forestry. The Board took no steps to ascertain the position of 

 forestry in the country before the war, and from what I have 

 seen — having been in charge of the Timber Supply Depart- 

 ment — it has been able to give no guidance whatever in the 

 situation which the war has created. It has provided no train- 

 ing for forest officers until the report of the Forestry Sub- 

 Committee was published, and the school now established is so 

 small that it is not a serious attempt to meet the situation. 

 We have been told — this summer we were told — that these 

 schemes of afforestation were taking certain definite shapes. 

 We have written repeatedly to the Board to ask how these 

 schemes are progressing, and we can get no information. 

 You will most likely have been told that there were quantities 

 of schemes under consideration, but, so far as we know, no 

 scheme has been adopted. That matter requires very careful 

 inquiry. All we know is that not a single scheme has yet 

 matured. 



" I would particularly ask you to inquire into two schemes, 

 one in regard to planting of ground at Craigmyle, and another 

 in regard to planting of ground at Fort Augustus, which I think 

 was offered by Lord Lovat. In the case of Craigmyle we 

 understand a scheme was adopted by the Board, and every 

 opportunity was taken of advertising it. Even the Courts of 

 Law were pressed into the service as advertising agents. 

 Arrangements were made for the taking over of that ground, 

 which have been kept a mystery. I understand that the agent 

 who brought that scheme to the notice of the Board was a 

 member of the Development Commission. It would be interest- 

 ing to inquire whether the terms which were arranged for 

 Craigmyle have been offered for any other scheme. Also, on 

 whose authority the scheme at Fort Augustus was turned down, 

 as it was, in a hostile report. 



" These are disagreeable matters. I am sorry to have to call 

 your attention to them. We shall require to have a reasonable 

 administration before we have progress here. It is up to the 

 new Authority to make sure that we do have a good adminis- 

 tration in Scotland. None of us care to make trouble, and if 

 the administration can be put right by your good offices, we 

 shall be only too glad that the thing should be done quietly, 

 but if you cannot put it right it cannot be left as it is. We 



