THE AFFORESTATION CONFERENCE. 65 



out that the smaller municipalities, and those which do not 

 possess tracts of land which cannot be used for agricultural 

 purposes, are in quite a different position, and that such 

 municipalities could not undertake any form of afforestation 

 whatever under existing conditions, that is, without some direct 

 assistance from the State. The problem then, as it presents 

 itself to municipalities, may be stated thus: — What kind of 

 Government aid would enable those municipalities which have 

 already begun afforestation on a small scale to extend their opera- 

 tions, and would at the same time afford encouragement to the 

 smaller bodies to make a beginning. Before outlining the chief 

 suggestions put forward by representatives of local authorities, it 

 may be well to note that the problem is considerably complicated 

 by the fact that it is closely connected with the unemployed 

 question — first, because afforestation has been strongly supported 

 by some as one, among other, means of providing work for the 

 " unemployed " ; and second, because some of the larger 

 municipalities, notably Leeds, have been making experiments in 

 this direction. The Report indicates a consensus of opinion that 

 afforestation cannot be regarded as an immediate and radical 

 cure for unemployment, and that the use of the unemployed 

 for the purpose of planting, or even of clearing the land, is 

 fraught with many difficulties. The following remarks by 

 Councillor Ogden, Chairman of the Leeds Waterworks Com- 

 mittee, appear to represent a considerable body of opinion: — 

 " If afforestation is complicated by being associated with the 

 necessity for finding employment for the unemployed, the 

 prospects of a profit absolutely disappear " {Report, p. 42). 



A speech by Mr A. C. Forbes, Forestry Expert, Irish 

 Department, states concisely the chief objections which have 

 been found in practice to any considerable use of the un- 

 employed in an afforestation scheme, and may be summarised 

 as follows : — The first difficulty is in connection with the acquisi- 

 tion of suitable land. Near large industrial centres, such land 

 is not usually obtainable except at a heavy outlay, and if the 

 land be at some distance from the town, the difficulties 

 connected with transport are very great. If the men have to 

 be accommodated on the spot, a very heavy expenditure for 

 huts or sheds is incurred, in view of the short period during 

 which these huts are likely to be utilised. Again, a large 

 number of the unemployed are found to be casual labourers, 



VOL. XXI. PART I. E 



