188 FORESTRY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 



there is no reason why the State should not acquire such 

 land. On the whole, however, cases of that kind are com- 

 paratively rare in England, but probably more numerous 

 in Scotland. In Ireland the State could do something 

 substantial in connection with the carrying into effect the 

 latest Irish Land Act. Many of the estates, especially in 

 the congested districts, contain large areas of waste land 

 which are not required by the new proprietors. Such areas 

 might be acquired by the State and converted into State 

 forests. The price of such land would probably be less than 

 £1 an acre. No doubt, such a procedure would be beset by 

 difficulties, especially in the beginning. It has been said that 

 the adjoining farmers would destroy the plantations, but the 

 difficulty can be overcome by making it the interest of the 

 surrounding population to preserve the woods. The forests 

 will provide additional work, and by and by tend to create 

 various local industries, all of which will make the people 

 the friends of the forests, and not their enemies. 



The expenditure under this head need not frighten the 

 taxpayer, as a beginning might be made on a small scale. 

 Sir Herbert Maxwell, in a paper which he lately read before 

 the Society of Arts, proposed an allotment of i; 10,000 a year 

 to begin with. Experience would show, whether, and to 

 what extent, this sum should be increased. 



c. Mimiripalities as Proprietors. 



It need scarcely be pointed out that the City of London 

 already possesses a municipal forest, the Epping Forest. That 

 area is, no doubt, managed with a view to its serving as a 

 recreation ground for the inhabitants of London, and not for 

 economic reasons. It could continue to serve its present 

 purpose and yet yield a revenue, provided excessive senti- 

 mentality were somewhat curbed. 



There is, however, another matter which, year by year, is 

 becoming of greater importance to all our large towns, and 

 that is the question of the " Unemployed," It is well known 



