THE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION AND FORESTRY. 23, 



Commissioners were doubtful whether the proposals embodied in 

 it would eventually make for commercial forestry, and in view of 

 the large sums involved in afforesting the lands already approved 

 for purchase in Ireland, they felt it incumbent on them to 

 propose a standard of management for this first scheme 

 submitted, such as would form a basis for all future working- 

 plans, and ensure a profitable return on the outlay. The 

 principle adopted by the Commissioners is that to ensure 

 remunerative forestry in Ireland the cost of aflforestation, 

 including the purchase of land, ought not to exceed an average 

 sum of ;^i2 per acre. At the end of the period covered by this 

 Report, communications were proceeding with the Department. 



In order to enable the Irish Department to cope with the 

 additional work entailed by the various afltorestation schemes 

 supported out of the Development Fund, the Commissioners 

 have recommended an advance of ;,^i69o, to meet during the 

 forthcoming year the salaries and expenses of the central staff 

 engaged by the Department on such schemes. The constitution 

 and salaries of the staff were approved in the previous year. 



In reply to an inquiry from the Irish Department whether 

 they would be precluded from concluding negotiations for the 

 acquisition of lands in cases where the mining rights are reserved 

 from the sale, the Commissioners stated that they would be 

 prepared to approve the purchase of such lands for tree-planting, 

 provided that conditions are imposed securing to the Develop- 

 ment Fund compensation sufficient to cover possible damage 

 to land and timber. 



The Treasury have directed, under section 2 (i) (c) of the 

 Development and Road Improvement Funds Act, 1909, that all 

 receipts arising out of forest lands purchased by means of the 

 grant from the Development Fund shall be paid to the 

 Treasury for the credit of the Fund. 



Finance of the Development Fund. 



Last year the Commissioners explained their general view on 

 the subject, viz., that where there are in existence separate public 

 funds which can be applied within one part of the United 

 Kingdom to some at least of the purposes to which the Develop- 

 ment Fund is applicable, those separate funds should be exhausted 

 before a demand is made on a fund common to the whole United 

 Kingdom, and wider in its scope than the income of any single 

 Department. 



The practical point at issue was the question how far advances 

 should be made for the present from the Development Fund to 

 assist in Scotland schemes for purposes (such as forestry, 

 agricultural research, and agricultural instruction) to which can 

 be applied the newly established Agriculture (Scotland) Fund, 



