CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 71 
Since real progress in forestry is impossible until the handicaps are removed, 
I may be pardoned for referring in detail to them, 
By their removal real encouragement will be given to private enterprise 
and estate forestry. 
Private enterprise and voluntary effort are as British as dependence upon the 
State is German. 
Let us now consider for a moment 
The National Importance of Estate Forestry. 
State operations must be limited principally to large areas and to waste 
and hill land. Better soils and smaller areas must be left to private enterprise. 
Estate forestry enjoys the following principal advantages : 
(1) It can ensure the necessary reserves of timber at least cost to the 
country. 
(2) It can plant the smaller areas. 
(3) It can plant the better soils and areas near urban and industrial centres. 
(4) It can grow ash and other valuable hardwoods on the better soils, whereas 
the waste areas and hill lands will be limited principally to conifers. 
(5) It can combine various branches of agriculture with forestry to great 
advantage and provide winter work for those engaged in agriculture at other 
seasons. 
(6) It can grow willows and other trees on short rotations and so encourage 
rural industries. 
In the past estate forestry has received no assistance of any kind from 
the State. It is due to the patriotism of private owners—who planted and 
kept up their woods in spite of all the difficulties and handicaps—that reserves 
of native timber have been available which have been of great value to us in 
this war. I trust that this fact will be recognised to the extent of removing 
the following handicaps : 
1. Z'ransport.—High and often prohibitive railway rates are a grievance 
of old standing in British forestry and if not corrected will prejudice the 
whole future of afforestation. In few districts in Great Britain has the timber 
been able to reach its proper and best markets, owing to the high railway 
rates. 
2. ‘Extraordinary’ T'raffic—Timber pays towards the upkeep of the high- 
ways throughout the period of its growth. Yet it is liable to pay a further 
large sum when it is felled for damage to the roads incurred in its removal. 
3. Hates and V'axes.—The Agricultural Rates Act does not apply to wood- 
lands, therefore when an owner plants agricultural land he is immediately 
penalised. Death duties have had a detrimental effect, and both rating and 
taxing authorities have done much to discourage forestry. 
4. Markets.—The consumer of timber offers no encouragement of any sort 
to native timber production. On the contrary, by a cheapening policy he helps 
to depress it. 
5. Losses in planting from frost, drought, insects, fungi, and other causes. 
6. Confidence.—Low prices and lack of demand have shaken confidence in 
home timber production as an investment. To ensure planting by estates it 
is essential that this confidence should be restored. 
There are many other handicaps due to the general neglect and want of 
intevest in forestry. 
Organisation. 
In developing or reconstructing an industry everything is dependent on 
organisation. 4 ie 
We must have organisation of existing fimber supplies, and organisation of 
future timber production. We must have also organisation of knowledge to 
prevent losses and ensure proper application of Practice with Science. 
