NATIONAL AFFORESTATION 



made the price on an average would, as before 

 pointed out, not be greater than 2 per acre. 



The cost of forming plantations has been 

 very carefully considered, and for all practical 

 purposes may be put down at 5 per acre, 

 taking the British Isles as a whole. 



Regarding financial returns from tree- 

 planting, there is overwhelming proof that 

 land worth only from Is. to 3s. 6d. per acre 

 has been made to realise as much as 20s. per 

 acre for fifty to sixty years, with a final crop 

 worth from 50 to 75 per acre. 



Taking everything as above into considera- 

 tion price of land, cost of planting, and 

 financial returns it will well repay the State 

 to plant up uncultivated and waste lands, 

 work that there should be no loss of time in 

 setting about if we are to provide suitable em- 

 ployment for our returned soldiers and sailors 

 and avoid the threatened timber famine which 

 the well-informed tell us is fast approaching. 



Bearing on the question of providing work 

 for a number of our demobilised soldiers and 

 sailors, the following account of the afforesting 

 of a considerable area of mountain land in 



