Canadian Forestry Journal, October, ipio 



767 



From the Edinburs:li Scotsman. 



Mr. Tennant had the pleasant task 

 of announcing in Parliament on Wed- 

 nesday night what he rightly described 

 as a "most patriotic and munificent" 

 action on the part of a great Scottish 

 land-owner. 



The Duke of Sutherland, with a gen- 

 erosity and public spirit which will 

 everywhere meet with merited recog- 

 nition — recognition which will be the 

 more hearty because this is not the 

 first benefaction the nation has owed 

 to the Sutherland family — is making a 

 gift of absolute conveyance to the na- 

 tion and its soldiers and sailors of an 

 estate of 12,000 acres. 



The conditions attached to this gift 

 are that the land is to be used for the 

 settlement of soldiers and sailors who 

 have a good record of service, and en- 

 tered the Service as volunteers, and 

 half of the holdings to be formed will 

 be allotted to sailors. 



While the selection of the settlers is 

 to rest with the Secretary for Scotland, 

 it is a reasonable stipulation on the 

 part of the donor, who is naturally in- 

 terested in making a success of the 

 scheme, that his wishes should be con- 

 sulted in the first selection. 



The settlement is not to be on a pure- 

 ly agricultural basis. Part of the 

 land is to be set apart for reafforesta- 

 tion by the State ; and this part of the 

 scheme will provide an object lesson in 

 State forestry and a subsidiary means 

 of employment to the small holders on 

 the land. 



The scheme will start under the most 

 fortunate auspices. The land is given 

 free ; the settlers will have that combi- 

 nation of employments which is recog- 

 nized as the ideal, and indeed the only 

 practicable, condition in the case of 

 small holdings ; and the financial pros- 

 pects of well-directed forestry enter- 

 prises are at the present time as fa- 

 vourable as their inauguration is neces- 

 sary in the national interest. 



Purchase of Stock. 

 In the course of his statement Mr. 

 Tennant said : The Duke was prepared 



to remove the sheep stock from the 

 farm, but it was agreed, upon his (Mr. 

 Tennant's) recommendation, that the 

 sheep stock should remain, and that 

 the State should purchase it. The pur- 

 chase of the sheep stock, cattle, and 

 horses, together with the furniture and 

 shooting lodge, would be on terms to 

 be mutually settled. The conveyance 

 of the property and the delivery of the 

 stock and equipment was to take place 

 at Martinmas. 1916. The Duke had 

 agreed that the State might make a 

 light railway on the estate. He 

 should like to be allowed to convey to 

 the Duke the warm thanks of the 

 House for his most patriotic and mu- 

 nificent gift. 



Prospect of Returns. 



The capital expenditure of the first 

 two years for stocking and afforesta- 

 tion would come to about £20.000, in- 

 cluding the equipment of twenty hold- 

 ings, and thereafter about £1,400 a 

 year. After fifteen or sixteen years 

 the returns from the woodland would 

 begin, and, of course, there would be 

 returns from small holders. 



From that time onwards there 

 would be a re-payment of the capital 

 invested, which would be ultimately re- 

 paid in full with the addition of com- 

 pound interest at the rate of at least 

 4 per cent. If the present price of 

 timber was maintained, the return 

 would be much larger. That was 

 very promising for the future of for- 

 estry and of putting soldiers on the 

 land . 



There need be little doubt that un- 

 der good management Mr. Tennant's 

 optimistic forecast of the profit to the 

 State will be justified, and that any 

 outlays incurred will be made good 

 with adequate interest. It may be 

 hoped also that his association with 

 this scheme will stimulate the new 

 Secretary for Scotland to more ener- 

 getic action than has hitherto charac- 

 terized his Department and its 

 branches in this important question. 



