CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 81 



Toronto, for the education of such technical men, was one of the most neces- 

 sary first steps, and I also welcome a similar step in the University of New 

 Brunswick, although I am not an advocate of multiplication, but rather 

 of increase in quality of educational institutions. 



The reasons for the scanty results of the long continued propaganda on 

 behalf of conservative forest management, for the delay of a vigorous 

 reform would, then, appear to be : 



1. Lack of realization on the part of governments that supplies are 

 rapidly waning and that, hence, necessity for conservation has arrived. 



2. Lack of realization that the forest resource of Canada can and must 

 be made permanent, because of soil and climatic conditions, and because of 

 its influence upon waterpowers. 



3. Lack of personnel to inaugurate and carry on any forest policies 

 involving technical knowledge. 



4. Lack of popular knowledge and popular interest in a question which 

 does not seem to concern the present. 



5. Lack of definiteness in the propositions for reform, which must 

 naturally differ for different parts of the country. 



6. The momentum of existing methods of disposal of the timber which 

 benefit an influential class of citizens, the timber limit holders, who will 

 naturally battle for their continuance, and the natural unwillingness of 

 governments to make radical changes. 



We have to recognize that especially this last reason is most potent. It 

 takes indeed a strong government to disturb long established usages, espe- 

 cially when the change means curtailment of revenue, increase of expendi- 

 ture, and possibly a strong opposition actuated by fear of material loss. 

 Political exigencies make it desirable to defer action and to leave another 

 administration to wrestle with problems that can be postponed. Yet, 

 I believe, the administration which will resolutely and fearlessly undertake 

 the reform is bound to. have the support of the large public, for, it seems to 

 me, the public is now astir on the subject. 



To increase and utilize more fully this newly aroused public interest, 

 to strengthen and stimulate hesitating governments and to advise them, 

 and in general to forward more readily the progress of reform, it would 

 appear proper to increase the activities of the Forestry Association by the 

 creation of provincial legislative committees composed of the most influen- 

 tial members of the Association. 



These committees, acting perhaps as sub-committees of the executive 

 committee, would represent the interests of the Association between meet- 

 ings. Their function should be *to study local conditions, formulate and 

 secure a hearing for propositions to ine government and push them to 

 realization, employ all local means for educating and arousing the public 

 and altogether be in charge of the work of the Association between meetings. 

 If funds were available the employment of a lecturer or lecturers by these 

 committees and the propagation of suitable literature through the news- 

 papers would do more than the publication of occasional reports and even of 

 a quarterly journal, which usually reach or are read only by those already 

 in the fold. The same thing can be said about the meetings once a year. 

 Few people come who are not already in the fold. I have not spoken of 



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