AFFORESTATION. 1 79 



is the great truth that lies behind the cry of back to the land. 

 It may be that legislation following upon the Poor Law Inquiry 

 will, either through labour colonies or classification of the 

 unemployed, alter present conditions. Meanwhile we have to 

 proceed on ordinary commercial lines, getting the best men 

 available to do the work. 



We have to treat afforestation, in short, as the development 

 of a neglected branch of our social economy, as a matter of 

 ordinary business, and to follow the lines of least resistance, so 

 far as they are effective. Any question as between land 

 nationalisation and private ownership will solve itself in the 

 light of experience. There is general concurrence that large 

 areas should be nationalised for silviculture, and that is sufficient 

 for believers in State forestry. 



All depends on the preparatory work done in the next decade, 

 and this cannot be too soon begun. We start, fortunately, at a 

 time when those blessed, if wearisome, words " co-ordination " 

 and "organisation" begin to influence our methods, and assuredly 

 these are the watchwords for Silviculture. 



My aim is to invite suggestion, not to lay down the law ; I 

 know enough to avoid that. If in so doing I have given 

 elasticity to some of my previous contentions when urging some 

 one line of action as against another, it is to ensure that no 

 contribution of any value shall be kept out of the pool, — for 

 nothing should be lost or neglected which can help us to realise 

 our great end, viz., the full utilisation of the poorer soils adapted 

 to silviculture, and the ample development of all natural 

 resources, with a view to providing full employment for our 

 people. 



