NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 131 



four or five years the Americans would be forced to come over to this side 

 and build their mills ; but in four or five years a great many of the people 

 would be starved out, as it would mean in a great many cases going four or 

 five years without eating. It is not as if our resources were small ; but when 

 we consider the large amount of wood we have we need have no fear. From 

 what I hear from Ottawa I understand that the Government there are not 

 in favor of an export duty, but that the interests of the majority in Canada 

 will prevail in this question, and not the interests of the minority. 



I was very much interested in the talk given by Mr. Kidner yesterday, 

 and I think the true way to get people to take an interest in forestry is by 

 educating the younger generation along that line, and I am very glad to 

 come down to New Brunswick and see you have commenced at the right 

 end ; that is, with the boys in the school. 



I congratulate the Premier, and his Cabinet, and my friend, the Hon. 

 Mr. Sweeney, on the great success attending this Convention. I can assure 

 you Mr. Sweeney has taken a deep interest in the different Forestry 

 Conventions which have been held throughout the Dominion, and has done 

 your Province much good. In the Convention held at Vancouver he brought 

 your Province well to the front by his remarks, not only from a forestry 

 point of view, but from many other points of view. It is a good thing for 

 representatives from the different Provinces to meet at these Conventions. 

 We are all one and our interests are the same. In this respect I would like 

 to say that in going over the Pacific Mills, in British Columbia, the President 

 said to me that they were the largest owners of timber limits in that Prov- 

 ince ; that they were very glad to have us corne out to the Coast, and give 

 them' our ideas, and that, as a result of the Convention, their Company was 

 goino- through their books, and was going to put a new value on all their 

 timber possession in the Province of British Columbia, and he further stated 

 that the Convention had opened their eyes and the eyes of the Government, 

 and that it was the first time they had been able to get the Government to 

 take any interest in the matter. It was shown at the Convention that the 

 Government only spent $5,000 a year for the protection of the forests, when 

 there were hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of property at stake ; but 

 this gentleman said he felt sure the Government would take up the question 

 at once and spend a considerable sum of money to protect the vast assets 

 they own in their timber limits, and I hope this Forestry Convention mNew 

 Brunswick will have the same effect, and that this Convention i 

 first of many similar ones. 



