47 



recommendations would be. This resolution proposes that 

 they should be authorised to prepare schemes and should be 

 assured of adequate funds. Until they are authorised to 

 prepare schemes, perhaps it would be a little premature to go 

 to them with a ready-made scheme." 



Sir John Stirling-Maxwell said : — " I should like to say one 

 word on the point Mr Dods raised about pit-wood. Of course, 

 the real opportunity for dealing with that was at the beginning 

 of the war, when a heavy demand was made for pit-wood, and 

 when the Government did make an arrangement under which 

 it might be brought at a cheaper rate for long distances. That 

 opportunity was missed, as all opportunities of that kind have 

 been missed, and unless we can get some change in those who 

 govern us, always will be missed, because there is nothing ready 

 when the emergency arises. If we had a properly equipped 

 Department of Forestry who had considered our future, there 

 would have been machinery to meet that emergency. There 

 was nothing of the kind. I know about what happened, 

 because with other members of the Society I had to attend 

 meetings of the Committee at the Board of Agriculture consider- 

 ing the matter. But the pit-wood was wanted in a hurry, and 

 something had to be done, and no conditions as to re-planting 

 were ever considered at all. I think that that particular matter 

 might well be brought to the recollection of the Government by 

 the Society when urging the point with which this resolution is 

 concerned. In this resolution, we are trying to guard against 

 a situation at the end of the war, when we might suddenly be 

 told that there are five hundred or five thousand, whatever 

 number it might be, men waiting at Southampton or somewhere 

 who are to be employed in forestry, and the thing had to be 

 arranged in a fortnight. That would mean a huge waste of 

 money, and a scheme would result which in all probability 

 would be a failure. What we want the Government to do is to 

 act while it has got time, and while it has got in Scotland — to 

 a considerable extent, since its advisers have been appointed — a 

 staff. We want them to spend their time now in finding a place 

 where schemes of afforestation could be carried out, where land 

 could be got at a reasonable rate, either by purchase or by 

 lease, and that they should take some preliminary steps such 

 as securing that plants would be available, and making arrange- 

 ments for housing men, perhaps on the lines Mr Dods suggested 



