SOURCES OF SUPPLY 63 



of the ruincus rates in force. With a fall in prices, 

 which, in the interest of national economy, must be 

 brought about in one way or another, can we depend 

 on these supplies reaching us ? And in any event for 

 how many years could they be maintained? It is 

 well known also that Canadian and American spruce 

 is not in as much favour with the trade as the Baltic 

 material, as the former is soft and mild (probably owing 

 to its quicker-grown character) and is by no means as 

 durable as the close-grained article from the Baltic 

 and White Sea. And even if the material were as 

 good we should be chiefly concerned to lower the 

 prices in force, and that cannot be done by making 

 one of our chief sources of supply in countries several 

 thousand miles distant, and which moreover have 

 already in past years cut out much of the timber 

 accessible at ordinary market rates to these islands. 



The problem before us is to obtain a definite source 

 of supply at a reasonable rate. Having achieved this, 

 the present ruinous market prices will drop to a more 

 normal level. Some increase, of course, must be 

 expected but not the present famine rates, which 

 should never have been incurred. 



In peace times our main source of supply in Europe 

 was Russia, more than half our European imports 

 coming from that country. This one fact, had it been 

 realised early in the war, might have opened our eyes. 

 Russia is our ally. Russia has enormous tracts of 

 unexhausted forests. Russia has a huge population. 

 A year ago it would have been possible to make 

 arrangements in Russia which would have resulted — 

 and this is not written at random — arrangements could 



