192 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



prise, which, though it may have produced a rugged effect, still 

 has produced one million acres of woods in Scotland, and 

 brought men to work there, and to that extent prevented rural 

 depopulation. Next, the question of this organised official 

 indifference is what I wish to emphasise. In this country when 

 there is a certain movement in the State in favour of any 

 particular thing, whether Tariff" Reform or bi-metalism or any 

 other difficult subject, the habit is to pursue some particular line. 

 At elections, politicians speak with very guarded enthusiasm on 

 the subject which it is their policy to support. As soon as they 

 get into Parliament, however, they appoint a Committee on 

 which possibly there is a large number of members with as 

 many different ideas as possible, and after some years some 

 legislation is adopted which in the end, if members are hostile, 

 is killed in the administration. That is what happens to 

 forestry. We have had Committees ; I doubt if there is on the 

 first three benches in this room any one gentleman who has 

 not sat on one Commission after another and Departmental 

 Committee after Departmental Committee. Finally, we had two 

 bills which we hoped were going to do something for forestry. 

 I am not making a political oration, but am condemning both 

 Governments. While condemning the Tory Government, I 

 condemn this Government, because, while the Tory Government 

 did nothing, this present Government promised to do something, 

 but has done as little as the last Government. That is fair 

 criticism. We have had a Development Commission from 

 which we hoped for very large things. In that Development 

 Commission forestry was mentioned. In the House of Lords 

 I put forward certain recommendations, many of which have 

 been embodied in the speech made just now by the representa- 

 tive of France. These, however, were cut out. They said it 

 was no good putting these recommendations in, and that if 

 conditions were put in, it would hamper rather than help. In 

 the Small-holders Act, at one time we had a representative 

 appointed for forestry, but he was cut out, and the lack of 

 interest in forestry is what you see to-day. What has happened 

 since these millions of pounds have been set aside for develop- 

 ment in Great Britain? This money has been devoted to 

 development of small holdings. England, it is true, has got a 

 demonstration area, but we have none in Scotland. Speaking 

 as a member of the Advisory Committee, and with a knowledge 



