144 TIMBER 
The geographical position of England so facilitates 
the import of timber from all parts of the globe, that 
no serious dearth of wood has ever been experienced, 
although a steady,and continuous rise in the values of 
the imported material has occurred. Consequently, in 
common with other countries, England has in the first 
place prodigally dissipated her native forests and, later, 
neglected to replace the same, with the result that she 
is, as the statistics show, the largest importer of timber 
in the world; the annual value of which reaches to about 
£30,000,000 sterling per annum. Practically all her 
wants are supplied by the shipments that reach the 
ports, it being estimated that from the afforested land 
in the United Kingdom—4 per cent. of the entire area— 
a lower percentage than that of any other European 
country with the exception of Portugal—only the 
insignificant amount of £500,000 worth of timber is 
drawn. 
The Kingdom, possessing only the above-mentioned 
and trifling amount of afforested land, has an estimated 
area of waste and uncultivated soil, principally mountain 
and heath land, which amounts to 15,000,000 acres, 
the greater part of which, it is stated on the best of 
authority, is ideal land for the growth of many varieties 
of timber trees. Nothing is done however. The demand 
for timber exists, and will continue to increase ; supplies 
from other countries are steadily declining ; there is 
land unused ; there is labour that should be employed 
in such pursuits, yet neither by private enterprise, 
by continued effort, nor by any serious attention from 
the State is anything done to evolve some system of the 
regeneration of native-grown timber. It is a weak spot 
in the national economy, and one which the State 
might well take radical measures to improve. 
That timber of certain sorts can be grown has been 
