AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 123 
“We cannot hope to have the industries dependent upon the forest 
fostered and protected as they deserve to be, until the public and legislators 
regard them as they do agriculture, for example, and have equal understanding 
of their governing conditions and needs. They will not attain such under- 
standing unaided; the aid is limited by their demands for it; they will not 
demand it because they do not understand the need.” 
Which, apparently, amounts to a deadlock. 
The solution, according to the committee, is to acknowledge that forestry 
is a business, and that “it pays to advertise.” A necessary part of a forester’s 
equipment is a training in publicity. 
There are already public departments in Australia which have recognised 
the uses of advertisement. In not one of them is the need for publicity and 
publication work greater than in forestry. Apart from propaganda, publica- 
tion of results is essential to the proper conclusion of investigative work, 
and the standardisation of method. 
The United States of America Forest Service has appreciated these facts. 
One of its numerous branches is the Division of Publications. One of its 
important officers is the editor, who “has charge of all work designed to 
promote general education in forestry by the diffusion of information concerning 
forests and their best use, through the supply of information to newspapers 
and other periodicals, through the giving of addresses, or through exhibits in 
co-operation with schools.” 
Regulation A9 states that— 
“Jn general, the papers on file in the offices of the forest service 
relating to the transaction of national forest business are public 
records, and as such are open to the public. Information should 
not be refused to persons whose interest is legitimate. Recommenda- 
tions on matters pending should not be made public.” 
The “ National Forest Manual” affirms that— 
“Tt is desirable that all proper opportunities should be afforded 
the public to understand the work of the service, and the principles 
and application of forestry.” 
District Foresters and Forest Supervisors are authorised to respond to 
legitimate demands for information. They are required to be “ accessible to 
newspaper men” and to furnish them with “copy.” The proviso is that 
“controversy, self-advertisement, and partisan discussion of questions of policy 
must always be avoided, as well as criticisms of any other department.” 
District Foresters may permit also the giving of formal addresses by 
forest officers, although in the case of important meetings, where expenditure 
of time and money is involved, approval must first be obtained. 
The Office of Geography at Washington is equipped for all classes of 
photographic work. It issues cameras and supplies to competent forest 
officers, and takes photographs to accompany reports and furnish evidence 
(temporary pictures); recording changing conditions (progress pictures) ; 
illustrating publications (special pictures); and covering subjects not in the 
service collection (new pictures). 
It supplies photographic and lantern slides to forest officers for office use, 
for instructive display, for use in giving addresses, for illustrating reports on 
articles, or for their office photograph album. It may furnish them also to 
co-operators outside the service, and to publishing houses for illustrating 
books and newspapers. 
It is authorised to sell at cost plus 10 per cent. 
I 
