FORESTRY EDUCATION 177 



portion of a school curriculum — showed an entire 

 lack of interest in the matter. 



We have seen that it was four years only before 

 the outbreak of the Great War that the Government, 

 at length beginning to realize that forestry might 

 in the future play some part in the industrial life of 

 the people, added the subject as one of the branches 

 to which the newly appointed Development Com- 

 mission should devote' its attention. During these 

 four years the Development Commission, in conjunc- 

 tion with the Boards of Agriculture, as has. been 

 shown, did in effect devote some considerable atten- 

 tion to the forestry question. -Forestry education 

 was placed on a far better basis, the Universities 

 and Agricultural Colleges throughout the country 

 being accorded grants towards the improvement of 

 their centres. Efforts were made to restart planting 

 work on a broader basis by offering grants on a 

 profit-sharing basis to landowners, including Corpo- 

 rations, and so forth. In Ireland a State Forest 

 Department came into being, and land was pur- 

 chased for the purpose of afforestation. The out- 

 break of war, and the cessation of fiurther grants 

 from the Treasury, put an end to these activities.. 



The great difficulties experienced in providing the 

 supplies of timber and pit wood absolutely essential 

 to the carrying on of the war were discussed,, and 

 the small progress, which was inevitable, made with • 

 the object of furthering the afforestation question 

 in these Islands, was dealt with. 



With respect to the future, we first reviewed our 

 present and future position as regards the provision 



