Chafrman's Remarks. 



The Chairman. — " My remarks will be brief as there is other 

 important business to follow, but there are some things I wish 

 to put before the Society at the end of my tenure of office. 

 The membership is now 1683 being 62 less than a year ago, 

 but in the two preceding years a large number of new members 

 had been secured by a very special effort. It would be most 

 unfortunate if we had to curtail our useful work, but unless 

 we can get increased revenue, we must try to economise in such 

 ways as may be found possible. Personally, I should be sorry 

 if we had to raise the subscriptions, but if it is absolutely 

 necessary, we will have to do it. We want as large a member- 

 ship as possible, and must avoid doing anything which will 

 make it more difficult for useful people to join us. It has 

 always been difficult to get the best men as members of 

 Council. There were plenty of capable men in the Society, 

 but the selection for the few vacancies has really been a 

 difficult and a very unpleasant task. If members would at 

 any time let the Secretary know of any good men in their 

 district who would be likely to accept office and attend the 

 meetings, it would be a great advantage to the Council in 

 the future. We want to have all classes— and by classes I 

 mean proprietors, foresters, nurserymen, timber merchants, and 

 all the different interests connected with forestry — well 

 represented and also the different districts. These last three 

 years have been years of considerable difficulty, but I would 

 like to express my appreciation of the way in which the 

 members of the Council have attended. In spite of all the 

 difficulties we have had extraordinarily good attendances. I 

 have no hesitation in saying that I have never presided over 

 a more business-like Committee. They all worked most 

 harmoniously, and there was not a single incident in the whole 

 of that time. All were out for the general good of the Society 

 and forestry. The Society is greatly indebted to them for the 

 excellent work they have done in spite of the expense and 

 difficulty of attending the meetings. 



" Sir Hugh Shaw Stewart raised the question of the 

 Journal. It is one that occurred to me, for it is one of the 

 serious questions with which we are faced. I quite agree that 

 if you had one publication with a larger circulation, you not 



