132 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I have on various occasions pointed out tliat sufficient waste 

 and mountain land is available to produce, at any rate, all the 

 coniferous timber which we now import. The difficulty is to 

 decide who is to do it. And this brings me to the main question 

 with which I have to deal 



Every civilised State has various duties to perform. It must 

 make laws which limit the action of the individual, with the 

 object of securing their rights to all citizens, of protecting them 

 against illegal interference of any kind, and it must maintain 

 such laws. On this point we are, I think, all agreed. The 

 State should, however, do more than this. Its action should 

 also be directed to furthering the welfare of the people, in all 

 cases where the power of the individual is not sufficient to 

 attain objects which are essential for social and economic de- 

 velopment ; more particularly, when the advantages to be 

 derived are not sufficient to induce private individuals to take 

 up the task, or where free action on the part of the individual 

 endangers the interests of the community as a whole, or when 

 it is preferable that the State should guard the interests of the 

 community. This occurs when permanent institutions must be 

 made independent of momentary personal fancies or wishes ; in 

 such cases, the State alone affords sufficient guarantee for 

 continuity of action in a given direction. 



It will thus be seen that, while it is desirable in all civilised 

 States to leave matters to the free activity of the individual, 

 whenever this can safely be done, there are cases of special 

 interest, which are better kept under the care and management 

 of the State. The limits between the two classes are not 

 easy to draw, nor can they be fixed once and for ever ; they 

 depend on the degree of civilisation of the people, as well as 

 on the industrial condition of the country. 



The question before us is, whether afforestation comes under 

 that class of undertakings which should be taken up by the State. 

 It is so considered in nearly all European states, in India, the 

 United States of America, and in several of our Colonies. As to 

 these Islands, I may offer the following remarks : — 



(i) We require large quantities of timber, the supply of 

 which from outside sources in the future is more 

 than doubtful. 

 (2) A falling-off in the supply of timber would have the 

 most serious effect on our national life. 



