FINANCE AND EMPLOYMENT. 47 



amount of employment would be considerable is evident from 

 the statements made by Dr Nisbet in Chapter X. For calcu- 

 lating the amount of employment to be offered in the Fort 

 Augustus Block, it may be reckoned that the treatment of 

 existing timber crops would fully absorb the labour supply that 

 the district could provide under' present conditions. 



Notes on the Employees. 



Head forester. — The head forester would receive ;^2oo to ^250 

 (with house and garden), running up to ^^300 per annum. 



Under foresters would receive ^75 (with house and garden), 

 running up to ^150 or /^2oo, if they qualified for the position 

 of Head forester over a 5occ-acre forest block, after that block 

 had become a producing area. 



Forest innards. — At first, two forest guards would be appor- 

 tioned to each of the three divisions of the planting area {vide 

 Chapter IX., Working-Plan), with perhaps one additional guard 

 responsible for the central nursery. 



The forest guards would eventually reach fifteen in number 

 (one for every 1000 acres of woodland), and would be respon- 

 sible for the care of and reports on the woods, destruction of 

 rabbits, squirrels and other vermin, maintenance of firebreaks, 

 suppression of fires, etc. 



These men would be quartered within the forest area, on 

 the actual ground for which they were responsible. 



Flying squad of trappers. — These would gradually disappear 

 as the forest guards reached their full number, and the planting 

 area increased. Certain areas with rocky cairns and rough 

 heather land would probably always require a few trappers 

 in addition to the regular forest guards. 



Planters. — The planters, who constitute the main body of the 

 men on daily wages, would be employed as follows throughout 

 the year : — 



October 25th to | Planting 1,500,000 trees, including 

 the end of- lifting plants from the nursery, carting, 

 March. J etc. 



1 Planting Menzies spruce, Corsican 

 April to the 15th | pine and Douglas fir; nursery work — 

 of May. r " lining out," weeding, etc. ; and croft 



J work. 



