Canadian Forestry Journal. 



colonization and the home of the 

 storied 'coureurs du hois'. Most of 

 all the provinces were the forests of 

 importance to Quebec, not only for 

 their effect on the waters, the fish 

 and game they shelter, but for their 

 beauty itself. Many of the steps ad- 

 vocated by Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 

 1906 had been adopted in Quebec, 

 such as the establishment of forest 

 reserves, the founding of a school of 

 forestry, the improvement of the 

 fire protective system, the inaugura- 

 tion of a forest survey and the in- 

 troduction of a more modern system 

 of selling the timber in place of the 

 old leasing system. The great aim 

 of legislation should be the accom- 

 plishment of some work for the per- 

 manent welfare of the nation and the 

 good of posterity. 



At the request of the chairman, 

 Mr. Chouinard, Clerk of the City 

 of Quebec, then read the following 

 letter of regret from Sir "Wilfrid 

 Laurier : — 



Dear Mr. Edwards, — 



I am compelled, much against my 

 will, to give up taking part in the 

 Forestry Convention which opens 

 to-morrow in Quebec. My parlia- 

 mentary duties will not permit me to 

 be away from Ottawa at the present 

 moment. I would ask you to kindly 

 convey to the members of the con- 

 vention the expression of my deep 

 and sincere regret. There is certain- 

 ly no more important question for 

 us, at this period of our national de- 

 velopment, than that of the conser- 

 vation of our forestry resources. I 

 trust the Forestry Association will 

 become a permanent institution and 

 even if its first meetings produced 

 no other result, a great progress 

 would have been achieved. 



Believe me, dear Mr. Edwards, 

 Yours very sincerely, 

 WILFRID LAURIER. 



The Hon. W. C. Edwards, 

 Senator, 

 President Canadian Forestry 

 Association, Quebec. 



The official welcome of the city of 

 Quebec was then extended to the 

 convention by the mayor, Mr. N. 

 Drouin. He cordially welcomed the 

 delegates as the city's guests and 

 assured the Governor-General of 

 their ardent loyalty to the British 

 Crown. 



His Grace Mgr. L. N. Begin, Arch- 

 bishop of Quebec, was represented 

 by Most Rev. P. E. Roy, coadjutor 

 bishop. Mgr. Roy expressed the re- 

 gret of Mgr. Beo-in at being unable 

 to be present. Long ago, he remind- 

 ed the convention, there had been a 

 conflict between the settler and the 

 forest, but of late the farmer was 

 beginning to see that the forest was 

 his friend. The clergy were dispos- 

 ed to do all in their power to aid 

 the guardians of the forest. Laval 

 University had lately opened a for- 

 est school, continuing thus to be a 

 benefactor to the people. After 

 paying a tribute to Mgr. Laflamme, 

 Mgr. Roy assured the convention of 

 the support of the clergy. 



Right Rev. Dr. Hunter Dunn, 

 Anglican Bishop of Quebec, also 

 spoke briefly, expressing his good 

 wishes for the success of the conven- 

 tion. 



Mr. Jos. M. Tellier, leader of the 

 Opposition in the Quebec Legisla- 

 ture, then spoke, expressing his good 

 wishes to the convention and his 

 sympathy with its work and welcom- 

 ed the delegates to the city. Fores- 

 try was one question on which gov- 

 ernment and opposition were in cor- 

 dial harmony. He suggested the 

 separation of the forest work and 

 that of colonization. 



Short speeches were also made by 

 the following : — Hon. A. L. Sifton, 

 Premier of Alberta; Hon. Sydney 

 Fisher, Dominion Minister of Agri- 

 culture ; Dr. W. Peterson, Principal 

 of McGill University; Dr. H. M. 

 Tory, President of the University of 

 Alberta; Prof. J. M. Briscoe, of the 

 University of Maine; Mr. J. G. 

 Peters, of the Forest Service of the 

 United States; Dr. J. T. Rothrock, 



