THE STATE AND PRIVATE WOODLANDS. I 27 



part of the responsibility on the local authority and part of the 

 expense on the general taxpayers of the district in question. 

 Some County Councils in Scotland have already been taking 

 steps to secure grants for afforestation, but till there is a definite 

 State department to secure proper supervision, and a definite 

 scheme somewhat on the lines that I have described, it would 

 be sheer waste of money. With a department, and with such 

 a scheme, the possibilities are great. County Councils are 

 responsible for developing their districts, and a scheme of 

 afforestation is a sure way of doing it. Ultimately it would 

 mean a great increase in work in the district, and with the new 

 industries which would arise, it would mean a large increase 

 in the rate-paying population. 



As illustrations of what can be done in this way let me 

 quote two cases. In the Landes, near Bordeaux, we have a case 

 where a huge area, almost 2,000,000 acres, of the worst possible 

 kind of land was turned into flourishing forest. Prior to 1857, 

 some 50,000 acres had been planted, mostly by private 

 individuals and communes. In 1857, a law was passed placing 

 the responsibility for afforestation on the various local authorities, 

 and if they could not see their way to undertake the work, the 

 State did so, but took possession of the land till such time as 

 the capital expended and the interest thereon was repaid. 

 Loans were offered but only seldom taken advantage of, as most 

 of the communes did the work without even borrowing. In this 

 way no less than 1,700,000 acres were planted — 120,000 by the 

 State, 180,000 by communes, and 1,300,000 acres by private 

 individuals. 



The afforestation of the Karst district in Austria (Istria, 

 Dalmatia, Herzegovina) was even more remarkable. This vast 

 tract of wilderness of 12,000,000 acres, of which about 5,000,000 

 acres are afforestable, is gradually being covered. Special 

 committees have been appointed, and, by a system of loaning 

 money by the State, the work is going forward, to a considerable 

 extent, in private hands. 



In both these cases the subjects dealt with are not fine timber 

 lands like our own, but ground which presents almost all the 

 difficulties that can arise. 



Let us now look for a little at the other side of the question. 

 If forestry is of such national importance that the forest owner 

 can legitimately call on the State for help, then the State 



