]84 AUSTRALASIA. 



and twenty-five Foresters, besides two Superintendents in 

 charge of nurseries and plantations. Four State nurseries 

 exist, wliere a great variety of indigenous and exotic trees are 

 raised. It cannot be said that the results are very satisfactory, 

 for it appears that the expenditure of theMacedon Nursery in 

 1899, for instance, amounted to ^63,388, while the number of 

 plants issued during the year came to 104,000. This works 

 out at £S1 for every 1,000 plants, or about 16 to 20 times the 

 amount paid in this country. So far the plantations seem to 

 extend over 1,400 acres. To spend such extravagant sums on 

 little plantations, while the natural forests are, year by year, 

 reduced in yield capacity, can hardly be considered a sound 

 policy. It is certainly not in accordance with the interests of 

 the Colony. The fact is that the Parliamentary influence of the 

 saw-mill industry is so great that it prevents proper measures 

 of forest conservancy being taken. Two Indian forest officers, 

 one of them being the Inspector-General of Forests, have 

 visited the Colony and advised the Government of Victoria. 



Summarij. — In the year 1897 the Government of Victoria 

 appointed a Commission consisting of eight members. In 1901 

 the Commission submitted a report dealing fully with the forest 

 question and suggesting a future policy. It proposed the passing 

 of an adequate Forest Act insuring, amongst other items : — 



(1.) Independent control of forest reserves. 



(2.) Protection of all timber. 



(3.) The demarcation of all reserved forests. 



(4.) Their protection against fire. 



(5.) Encouragement of tree planting in treeless districts. 



It next proposed the appointment of a Forest Coiscrranci/ 

 Board consisting of three members, directly responsible to 

 Parliament, to administer the forests, the Game Act and 

 fisheries. Under it, there should be a Conservator responsible 

 for the reserves and the proper discharge of duties by the 

 staff placed under him. The Commissioners wound up their 

 report with the following words : — 



" We feel assured that any intelligent observer, who has 



