THE CONFERENCE AND DINNER. I 89 



Commons and outside the House. In a letter that 1 received 

 from him very shortly before he went to Australia he said as 

 follows — ' Keep the flag flying. I really think we are near the 

 end of our long lane, through the wilderness, at last. Well, we 

 have done our best. It is far the best bond in which I have 

 ever found myself in public life.' As yet, I do not know that 

 Sir Ronald's mantle has fallen upon any Honourable Member 

 in the House of Commons, but I hope he will soon have a 

 younger successor who will have his love for afforestation. I 

 have sometimes heard members of the Society say that slow 

 progress is being made in the advance of forestry in Scotland. 

 As you know, all large buildings need strong foundations, and 

 although the foundations now being laid are perhaps being 

 slowly laid, I feel sure they are being well and firmly laid ; and 

 the superstructure to be put on them afterwards may be much 

 larger than it could have been if the foundations had not been 

 so severely tested. I have been privileged to be present at all 

 the meetings of the Advisory Committee, and I should like to 

 express to the members of the Society my great admiration for 

 the wonderful care and the tranquil patience with which the 

 Chairman and members of Committee consider every phase of 

 the question of forestry. It is my earnest prayer that if I am 

 privileged to do anything more for forestry in Scotland, I may 

 be given the health, strength, energy and ability to do good 

 work for it, and that the work throughout Scotland may con- 

 duce very largely to the comfort, content, health and happiness 

 of all those connected with or affected by it in any way." 



Mr Robinson, New Zealand, said : — " In the first place, I 

 have had very much pleasure in being associated during the 

 past eleven days with so many gentlemen distinguished in 

 forestry science, and am also proud to represent New Zealand 

 at this Conference. It is not my desire, or perhaps yours, that 

 I should attempt to tender information in regard to advanced 

 forestry in New Zealand, particularly as our work is merely in 

 its initial stages. During our tour, however, I have explained 

 some of our methods to those desiring such information, and 

 perhaps the following few condensed notes taken during the 

 tour will show you in what direction I have been specially 

 impressed. Taking it generally, under existing conditions, there 

 is a very large tract of country through which we travelled 

 which appears to be eminently suitable for the production of 



