UNDESIRABILITY OF RELIEF WORKS 9 



necessary to acquire 800 acres of land, and to expend a total 

 sum of .11,200. And although ultimately some return on 

 this money may be looked for, yet many years must elapse 

 before any revenue is derived from the money thus expended. 



It is a sine qua non that the expenditure on any more or 

 less unnecessary work, undertaken in the nature of "relief 

 work," should be almost entirely on behalf of the cost of the 

 manual labour required for such work. 



There are, moreover, several other objections to any 

 schemes of afforestation undertaken in the nature of relief 

 works, amongst the more important of which may be 

 mentioned the following: 



(1) In frosty weather, when the distress arising from 



unemployment is most severe, all planting operations 

 must be suspended. 



(2) There is usually no suitable land for afforestation 



near the big cities and towns ; and if land be 

 acquired at a distance, all expenses will be greatly 

 increased, as, for instance, the cost of railway fares, 

 living and sleeping accommodation, etc., etc. 



(3) If somewhat high-priced agricultural land be acquired 



in the vicinity of the cities or towns, the chances of 

 obtaining any ultimate profit will be very much 

 lessened ; and the amount of the annual labour, at 

 present employed on such land, will be much reduced, 

 thereby increasing rural depopulation and lack of 

 employment for the doubtful benefit of providing 

 employment for others for a few weeks in the winter 

 months. 



(4) Planting requires considerable skill, and the casual 



labour of inexperienced " hands " can only be bene- 

 ficially made use of to a slight extent. 



THE FINANCIAL RETURNS WHICH AFFORESTATION 

 IS LIKELY TO YIELD. 



The Financial Aspect of Afforestation, on the assump- 

 tion that the prices obtainable for timber will remain at their 



