Canadian Forestry Journal. 



language. Prominent Canadian lum- 

 bermen and foresters, representa- 

 tives of Dominion and provincial 

 governments, railway officials, dele- 

 gates from the United States Forest 

 Service and the forestry interests of 

 several states, and scientists whose 

 work touched on forest problems 

 presented their views on various 

 forestry questions, while representa- 

 tive clergymen, Catholic and Pro- 

 testant alike, expressed their good 

 wishes for the success of the work. 



Over four hundred persons signed 

 the register of attendance, and fully 

 one thousand persons were present 

 at one session and another of the 

 convention. The interest shown in 

 the different papers and addresses 

 was very marked. 



Perhaps the outstanding feature 

 of the many important phases of the 

 convention was the evidence given 

 of the awakened interest in forestry 

 among Canadians of all classes. 

 Though the discussions did not show 

 that the representatives of the dif- 

 ferent interests — farmers, lumber- 

 men, railway officials, navigators, 

 administrators and others — were 

 agreed upon what should be done, 

 yet there was a general agree- 

 ment upon the fact that the time had 

 arrived when Canadians could no 

 longer sit in a state of calm com- 

 plaisance while their forests, with 

 all they represented, were disappear- 

 ing with woeful rapidity. 



Worthy of special note, too, was 

 the abundant hospitality of the men 

 and women of the Ancient Capital, 

 as shown especially in the splendid 

 banquet given by the Premier and 

 Legislative Council and the pleasant 

 afternoon provided for the visitors 

 by the Local Committee at IMont- 

 morency Falls after the labors of the 

 convention had concluded. 



The Opening Session. 



The first session of the convention 

 opened in the Legislative Council 

 chamber. Parliament Buildings, at 

 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18. 



In the absence of the Honorary 



President of the Association, Sir 

 Wilfrid Laurier, the president, Hon. 

 W. C. Edwards, who occupied the 

 chair, called on His Excellency the 

 Governor-General to open the con- 

 vention. 



Earl Grey, speaking in French, 

 addressed the convention as fol- 

 lows : — 



^[r. President, Ladies and Gentle- 

 men, — ■ 



Five years ago, at the request of 

 the Prime ]\Iinister, Sir Wilfrid 

 Laurier, I had the honor to open, in 

 Ottawa, the first meeting of a con- 

 vention assembled there for the pur- 

 pose of studying the means of pre- 

 serving what remained of our for- 

 ests, so that they might be utilized 

 for the requirements of the whole 

 world. 



A year later I was present at an- 

 other similar convention in Van- 

 couver. From that date the atten- 

 tion of the Canadian people has, in 

 an ever increasing degree, concen- 

 trated itself on this question, which 

 is of such high importance for the 

 whole country. Forest fires have 

 caused incalculable losses, which 

 might have been prevented by more 

 active vigilance. 



But the interest taken to-day in 

 the conservation of the resources of 

 the country is at once enhanced and 

 justified by the fact that those who 

 have been, so to say, the apostles of 

 the movement already find their zeal 

 and energy rewarded and their ef- 

 forts crowned with success. I am 

 happy to see a number of them pre- 

 sent on this occasion. They have 

 understood that not only the welfare 

 of a great industry but the wealth 

 of our soil itself depends ou our 

 forests. No efforts have been spar- 

 ed by them to secure adherents to 

 their cause, by pointing out to them 

 alike the magnitude of the dangers 

 which menace this rich inheritance 

 of ours and the means for its pre- 

 servation. 



1 have already stated that T have 

 been present at meetings of this as- 

 sociation in Ottawa and Vancouver, 



