15 



Government contracts only a few days ago, I saw that one of the 

 contracts let in December was for the building and equipment 

 of the forestry buildings for the School of Forestry in the 

 Forest of Dean. Very excellent — I would be the last to say 

 ' don't do it ' — but why will they not do the same for us here ? 

 We shall continue to press this point because we have every 

 justification for doing so, and I trust the Government, as they are 

 backed up by every Department which have anything to do with 

 it, will see that this matter is no longer delayed. Now is an 

 important time. We are at present engaged, as I say, in a 

 war which taxes to the utmost the whole resources of the 

 country, and what is going to happen when this war ends ? 

 We are going to have coming back to this country a very large 

 proportion of unskilled labour. We must be ready to meet that 

 emergency, and there is no better way in which preparation 

 could be made than by pressing forward this question of 

 afforestation and providing us with the essentials for bringing 

 it into being. We cannot afford to delay, and I would strongly 

 press on all those concerned that now is the time when we really 

 ought to act in order to be prepared for a state of things which 

 I trust may not be very far in the distant future. I do not think 

 I need add anything more. There are many details into which 

 I might go, but this is not the time for it. Our thoughts are 

 possibly taken up with other things, and I will conclude by 

 saying that I hope we may hear from the representative of the 

 Board of Agriculture, who is with us, something much more 

 definite than he has been able to give us at previous meetings. 

 " Meantime we proceed to the 



"Election of the Office-Bearers for 1915. 



" At a time like this it was the view of the Council 

 that as little change as possible should be made in the 

 office-bearers. I move the re-election of our President, Colonel 

 Stirling, which I am sure will be received with most whole- 

 hearted support by every member of the Society. I have 

 also to move the election of Mr Buchanan and Mr Massie 

 in room of the two retiring Vice-Presidents. Lord Lovat's 

 name was put forward, but he desired to be relieved of 

 the office of Vice-President for this year, but hoped that we 

 would do him the honour of allowing him to occupy that 

 position at some other time. To such a request we cannot say 

 anything but ' Yes.' So Lord Lovat falls into the Council in 



