8 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



what forestry means, and I hope this will clear the ground, for 

 it shows the two bodies ought to work in harmony." 



Mr Richardson. — "While it is right that the Society should 

 pass a resolution welcoming this Bill, I think we ought to do a 

 little more in examination of the Bill itself. It is all very well 

 to have letters assuring us that certain things will be done, but 

 that does not satisfy a great many of us. There is not in the 

 Bill a single word to the effect that even one of the officers 

 who are to be appointed shall have any knowledge whatever of 

 forestry. The seven Commissioners are appointed by the King, 

 and the Assistant Commissioners for each of the three countries 

 are to be appointed by these Commissioners, and the Advisory 

 Committee is to be composed of people, according to the Bill, 

 who may not have any knowledge whatever of forestry. They 

 are to be representatives of bodies interested in forestry, and of 

 bodies who are interested in matters or have experience of 

 matters connected with forestry. I do not think people will be 

 satisfied until it is made perfectly clear in the Bill that the 

 people who are to be appointed are men capable of carrying 

 out the work. As to the seven Commissioners, there is no 

 stipulation in the Bill that any proportion of these are to 

 represent Scotland. The whole seven may be Englishmen. 

 Is Scotland to take its policy from seven English Commissioners 

 sitting in London or anywhere else? Supposing you had an 

 Assistant Commissioner who knew his work, and seven Com- 

 missioners who did not know about forestry, and the Assistant 

 Commissioner refused to carry out their orders, he would pro- 

 bably be dismissed. I supported the Central Authority with an 

 executive in the different countries, but I was surprised when I 

 saw the Bill. I expected the Advisory Committees would be 

 Committees of men who are experts in practical forestry, not 

 men merely interested in matters connected with forestry, which 

 might include toymakers, shipbuilders, and so on. I am pre- 

 pared to move the following amendment, ' While this Society 

 welcomes the introduction of the Forestry Bill into Parliament, 

 it protests against the constitution of the Central Authority in 

 so far as no provision is made for Scotland's claim to have 

 representation thereon commensurate with her needs, and that 

 no qualifications either for the post of Commissioner or the 

 Assistant Commissioner are mentioned in the Bill. It also 

 protests against the constitution of the Consultative Committees, 



