DEPUTATION FROM SOCIETY TO CHANCELLOR OF EXCHEQUER. 20 1 



to act upon the false assumption that economic afforestation 

 could be successfully carried on by unskilled and untrained 

 casual labour. 



Mr Steuart Fothringham, in the absence of Sir Kenneth 

 Mackenzie, President of the Society, described the constitution 

 and work of the Society. He pointed out that the need for 

 industry was shown by the huge percentage of crofters who had 

 been found entitled to, and had claimed, old age pensions. He 

 was confident that nothing would conduce so much to the 

 success of the small-holders as to have extra labour at their 

 door, especially in the winter time ; but he deprecated the 

 initiation of a great scheme of national afforestation without 

 careful preliminary inquiry and preparation. 



Sir Herbert Maxwell said that he was 'aware that it required 

 a strong case to justify any appeal for the interference of the 

 State in an industrial matter such as forestry, but he was 

 pleased to have been able to draw up the grounds upon which 

 such a case was based. These were — firstly, the extent to 

 which all our principal industries depended upon an abundant 

 supply of timber at reasonable prices ; secondly, the rapidly 

 increasing consumption of timber not only in this country but 

 in other countries, especially the German Empire and the 

 United States, causing the disappearance of accessible forests 

 in all parts of the world, and the consequent serious rise in 

 prices, which had been equal to as much as 22 per cent.; thirdly,, 

 the inadequacy of existing British woodland to supply anything 

 but an incalculable proportion of the foreign shortage ; fourthly^ 

 the impossibility of expecting private landowners to meet the 

 emergency by embarking on economic forestry, for three 

 reasons — (i) that few landowners could lock up the necessary 

 capital during the non-productive period, (2) that no 

 private owner could ensure continuity of system on behalf of 

 his successors, and (3) the rating of immature woodland and 

 incidence of death duties, which might consume most, if not 

 all, the profits ; and their fifth reason was the extent of good 

 forestable land, which could be procured for as low a price as 

 ^2 an acre. He estimated that the return on capital would 

 show an amount of 3 per cent, in perpetuity, allowing for an 

 unproductive period of from thirty to forty years. There was 

 lastly the value of afforestation as a source of employment, and 

 as a check to rural depopulation especially in connection with 



VOL. XXII. PART II. o 



