SIR JAMES BALL'S OPINION 55 



and avoidance of friction, and received the greatest 

 amount of assistance and support from all con- 

 cerned. 



The position of the country in this timber matter 

 was admirably disclosed by Mr. (now Sir James) 

 Ball, the Timber Controller, in a lucid address 

 before a meeting of landowners and agents on 

 December 10, 1917. This summary of " Timber 

 Supplies During the War" will become historical. 

 I reproduce portions of it below :— 



" He would like to give them a short r&um^ of 

 the circumstances whjch had brought us tcr our 

 present position, so that perhaps we could better 

 understand the necessities for the full exploitation 

 of the timber in this country, in Ireland, and in 

 Scotland. They all remembered the outbreak of 

 war in August, 1914, and the enormous demands 

 .which were then made on the imported timber 

 supplies, more especially for the Army requirements. 

 That led' to a member of the timber tra<ie being 

 appointed Government buyer of imported soft 

 woods ; he was appointed by the Office of Works. 

 In 1915, owing to the advance of submarine warfare, 

 it was decided that steps should be taken to in- 

 crease the user of home-grown timber, and to that 

 end the Home-Grown Timber Committee was 

 formed, under the auspices of the Board of Agricul- 

 ture. Numerous sawmills were put up in various 

 parts of the country, principally of the Scotch 

 type, and various woods were acquired, and large 

 orders were also placed with timber merchants and 

 others who at that time were capable of suppl3dng 

 the timber ; and supplies so obtained were dispatched 

 to France to meet the ever-increasing demands of 



