86 



FOEESTS, WOODS, AND TREES 



and in certain cases inaccurate. Returns from only 47 

 authorities were given. Important areas, such as the 

 Liverpool Corporation's catchment area of 10,000 acres at 

 Rivington, were omitted. The figures excluded land subject 

 to common rights, small areas of freehold, and certain areas 

 which the local authorities reported as being too exposed 

 for planting. Nevertheless, the fact was disclosed that 

 over 100,000 acres of catchment areas were owned or held 

 on long lease by local authorities. The tables summarised 

 indicated for 1904 : 



In the Final Report of the Reconstruction Forestry 

 Sub-Committee (Cd. 8881 of 1918, p. 93) it is stated 

 that the Glasgow Corporation's areas at Loch Katrine and 

 Gorbals should be added to the list as being owned by 

 the local authority. This is incorrect, as the ownership 

 of these areas still remains in private hands, and the Glasgow 

 Corporation have no rights to make plantations upon them. 



The Board of Agriculture again, in 1909, made an 

 inquiry concerning the amount of planting that had since 

 been carried out. The result of this inquiry showed (11) 

 that in the majority of cases, even where local authorities 

 were in possession of the freehold or had long leases of 

 their catchment areas, little progress had as yet been made. 

 In a few cases, on the other hand, the work had been 

 taken up seriously, and planting was being done on a 

 systematic plan. Reports received from fourteen local 

 authorities indicated that altogether some 2200 acres had 

 been planted, and that schemes were on foot for planting 

 a similar area during the ensuing five years. Leeds, Liver- 



