172 NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 



nemy. I may say that if you have any saw-mills to be given away, we will 

 be very gird to have them. But it is not for the hope of reward that we 

 have come down here. I have to thank you, Mr. Premier, and your Gov- 

 ernment for the cordial way in which you have given us this vote of thanks. 



MR. STEWART Mr. Premier, ladies and gentlemen, I must thank 

 you very sincerely for this vote of thanks. It is quite unusual in our meet- 

 ings to thank those who come to give addresses on this occasion ; but Mr. 

 Price has said all that is necessary on that subject. I endorse everything he 

 has said except with regard -to' the saw-mill ; if I had a saw-mill I would 

 not fall in with his suggestion. 



It is to me, Mr. Premier, very gratifying indeed to see the increased in- 

 terest that is being taken within the last few years in the subject of Forestry- 

 It is a little over seven years since I was asked by the Dominion Govern- 

 ment to undertake the formation of a Forestry service for the Dominion. I 

 found that scarcety anyone knew what we were going to do. The Minis- 

 ter of the Interior asked me what I proposed to do. He said "The Premier 

 has sent a letter regarding the matter, and thinks it would be wise to do 

 something similar to what other countries do," and asked me what I pro- 

 posed to do. "Well," I said, it is a pretty hard question to answer at once, 

 to develop the Forest policy for the Dominion of Canada at a moment's 

 notice." I said. "If you care to appoint a Commission, such as the Ontario 

 Government did, such as the Washington Government did a few years ago, 

 they may be prepared to formulate a policy which you might see fit to 

 adopt." Those of you who know the Minister of the Interior will recognize 

 the personal characteristics of his answer. He said, "We generally appoint 

 Commissions when we do not intend to do anything. If you care to take 

 hold of it, do what you like, and when you arrive at a plan, submit it, and 

 we will adopt it if we think wise." Shortly afterwards, I went to Washington 

 on the American Forestry Association, and on the way back, it occurred to 

 me that a good thing for this country, to awaken the public interest in this 

 question, would be to form an Association in Canada, I came back and 

 called together some men, and the result was the formation of the Canadian 

 Forestry Association, which has been the means, in my humble opinion, of 

 reat ing an almost Canadian national interest in the subject of Forestry. 

 Almost, or very shortly after to show how little the term "Forestry" was 

 known in Canada, I asked a gentleman to preside at one of our Forestry 

 meetings. "Well," he said "if you had just been here a day or two ago, you 

 would have seen Dr. Oronhyatekha, and he is head of the whole bunch." 



