The Minister of Reconstruction having referred in a speech 

 to a scheme of afforestation which had not then been published, 

 the Council asked that they should have an opportunity of 

 expressing their views on the scheme before it was finally put 

 forward for adoption. A reply was received that the Council's 

 representation would have attention. 



A representation was made to the Board of Agriculture on 

 the subject of the provision of young plants for afforestation, 

 and some correspondence followed. 



It having been ascertained that the question of afforestation 

 was being considered by a Committee of the Cabinet, the 

 following Resolution was unanimously adopted at the General 

 Meeting, which was held in Edinburgh on 3rd July, namely : — 



"This General Meeting of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society welcomes the announcement that a Committee 

 of the Cabinet has the question of Forestry Adminis- 

 tration under consideration. 



"The Meeting desires to impress on Lord Curzon and 

 Mr Barnes the paramount necessity (1) of placing the 

 Central Control of Forest Policy under men conversant 

 with the subject; (2) of freeing the local administration 

 in Scotland from the subservience to agriculture under 

 which it has hitherto laboured ; and (3) of making 

 immediate progress with the replanting of cleared areas 

 and the planting of large additional areas, so that 

 public opinion may be satisfied that steps are being 

 taken to protect the country from the grave national 

 danger of a timber famine in the future. 



"The Meeting respectfully repeats to the Government a 

 request made to the Minister of Reconstruction that 

 this Society should have an opportunity of considering 

 and expressing its views upon schemes in contempla- 

 tion before they are actually adopted." 



The Government having intimated their adoption of the 

 report of the Forestry Sub-Committee of the Reconstruction 

 Committee, the following Resolution was adopted by the Council 

 and sent to Ministers, the Boards of Agriculture, Development 

 Commission, and all the Scottish Members of Parliament .• — 



"The Council of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society 

 welcomes the gratifying announcement made by 

 Viscount Peel in the House of Lords on 8th August, 

 in reply to the Earl of Selborne, that the report of the 

 Forestry Sub-Committee of the Reconstruction Com- 

 mittee has been accepted by the Government, and that 

 a Central Authority for Forestry for the United 

 Kingdom would be set up and a policy of planting 

 would be pursued with the least possible delay. 



