FORESTRY AS A MEANS OF RELIEVING UNEMPLOYMENT. 103 



The regulations under which the grants will be paid will be 

 simple, sufficient only to ensure that the money voted goes to 

 relieve genuine unemployment, that a proper proportion of 

 ex-service men is employed, that a fair wage is paid, and 

 that the work undertaken is carried out. 



Acquisitio7i of Land. — To carry out that portion of the State 

 planting programme which is financed by the Unemployment 

 Fund, it will be necessary to acquire land in the vicinity of 

 centres of unemployment. The Forestry Commission will, there- 

 fore, be obliged if owners in possession of land suitably situated 

 for this purpose will offer the same for leasing or feuing at 

 reasonable rates. 



It is not the intention of the Forestry Commission to carry 

 out planting operations on areas acquired with urban labour. 

 A certain proportion of the preparatory work, however, such as 

 draining, burning of lop and top, clearing of scrub, road-making, 

 etc., can be carried out by men with no training in agriculture 

 or forestry. 



Scrub Areas. — Many tens of thousands of acres of the best 

 planting land in Great Britain are covered with overgrown 

 coppice — scrub-oak, birch, etc., which have little commercial 

 value except as firewood. An appeal is made to woodland 

 owners of Great Britain either to clear these areas themselves or 

 make them over to the Local Authorities to draw the grant, sell 

 the produce, and so expend in relief of unemployment, at 

 little cost to the ratepayers, some ^4 to jQ?> for every acre dealt 

 with. 



All communications on the subject of grants, information 

 about land for planting, or scrub-clearing schemes, should be 

 addressed, for England and Wales, to the Assistant Commissioner 

 for England and Wales, Forestry Commission, i Whitehall, 

 London, S.W. i; for Scotland, to the Assistant Commissioner 

 for Scotland, Forestry Commission, 25 Drumsheugh Gardens, 

 Edinburgh. 



The Commission's Forestry Staff will be fully employed in the 

 next six months with the administration and execution of the 

 State forestry programme, which includes the planting of over 

 30 million plants this year, and the lining out of 50 million 

 plants for the year following. The staff are, therefore, not in a 

 position in all cases to give advice to landowners on technical 

 points. Landowners are advised to refer to the Royal English 



