THE CONFERENCE AND DINNER. 205 



that SO great a subject, a subject so fraught with importance to 

 the country at large, to those of our population who have to 

 gain their living in the country districts, should sometimes at any 

 rate be sacrificed to party exigencies and put to a cetain extent 

 upon the shelf. This is so important a subject that it really 

 deserves considerably more consideration than the Houses of 

 our Legislature have apparently been able to give to it up to the 

 present time. We who have not the honour of being at any 

 rate intimately connected with the Government of the country 

 by being Members of either of the august Houses that sit at 

 Westminster, sometimes think that the party exigencies play too 

 strong a part from what we see at any rate in the newspapers. 

 We have the feeling that it is more important sometimes to score 

 a party point, or to say something which is to the party 

 advantage, than to press forward measures which are not 

 immediately before the electorate, and which the electorate 

 do not understand. We heard this afternoon that one of the 

 things which our Society had to keep in the forefront of its 

 programme was the education of our legislators, and I think I 

 might add to that that we ought also to keep in the forefront of 

 our programme the education of the electorate. There are a 

 great many people, especially the large bodies of the electorate 

 who live in the city and suburban districts, who really do not 

 know, and who do not realise the importance of forestry not 

 only to the country districts but indirectly to themselves. It is 

 to their interest, even looking upon it from a most materialistic 

 and selfish point of view, that our country population should be 

 kept in the country. We maintain, and are prepared to maintain, 

 and to a very large extent are prepared to prove, that forestry 

 would do this for the country and for the people. Now, 

 'Development' is a word about which we have heard a great 

 deal, and we have been told that our duty is to develop our own 

 country. Nothing truer was ever said. I do not propose to 

 enter for one moment into anything which converges upon 

 party politics in any sense whatever. This afternoon any blame 

 which was attached to the Government was impartially distributed 

 between both political parties in, I am sure, quite equal shares, 

 and it is very proper that all matters of that kind should be kept 

 absolutely apart from the object we have in view. Our personal 

 opinions we are entitled to maintain, but there is a saying which 

 says, ' Let difference of opinion never alter friendship,' and I am 



