The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-06-01
REFORESTATI0N
is RECOGNIZED
By England, Which Has q Smaller Per
centage Of Forested Area Than
Any Other Civilized
Country.

HnGiAn0g WIN hiualicA pSANNhe"ee -
forested area than any other civilized
country, is importing enormous quaint
tics OF wood in various forms About
ninety per cent Of all the timber she
uses comes from her colonies OF other
countries. and for it she must pay year.
~ some thirty million pounds The
United Kingdom, contrary to the gen
eral impression, has great deal OF
waste land that could be probably de.
voted to timber production and made
to supply much Of the demand for tim
Der BY her varied industries.
That the necessity for further devel-
oping the natural resources is now fully
realized by the leading English states
men is strikingly evidenced in tn bud.
get which has recently bee introduced
into the House Of Commons. The chan
eellor OF the exchequer, Mr.. Lloyd
George, made a speech Of nearly four
and one-half hours in explanation OF
the many items and new provisions 81
the budget. According to the London
Daily News, this speech marked rec
ora UIHhfdtttAtA HtAlI hAtN tANAAANF NAAtrt
Of Mr.. Gladstone in the fifties.
In outlining the budgets proposals
for forestation and national develop
ment, the chancellor said that II might
not be the function Of the government
to create work, but that 1t is an essen
tial part Of its business to see that the
people are equipped to make the best Of
their own country, and, il necessary,
help II TO do so, A state can and ought
To take d larger and wider view Of its
investments than individuals. The re-
settlement of deserted and impoverished
parts of its own territories might not
bring To IT'S Golfers a direct return which
would reimburse II fully for its expendi-
ture. but the indirect enrichment Of its
resources would more than compensate
for any apparent or immediate loss.
Any man who had crossed and recrossed
England from north 10 south, and from
east TO west, must have been perplexed
at finding there was so much waste and
wilderness possible in such q crowded
little island.
"This brings me straight" Mr.. Lloyd
George continued, to the question Of
atforestation. There is a very general
agreement that some steps should BE-
taken IN the direction, ! VIII not say Of
afforcsting, but Of reaiIoresting the
waste land Of this country. Here, again,
we are far behind every civilized country
in the world. In Germany, for instance,
ont Of a total Of l33000000 acres, 81
100000, o. nearly twenty five per cent,
are wooded. IN France, out Of 10000,
900 acres, seventeen per cent. are wood
ed. In the United Kingdom, out Of
III 100000 acres, only 100000, or four
per cent. are wooded. Tie number Of
people directly employed in forest work
in this country is only 10000, and yet
the climate and soil of this country are
/ lust as well adapted for the growth Of
marketable trees as those Of the estates
OF Germany.
Recently we have been favored with
striking report Of a royal commission,
whieh outlines 3 very comprehensive
and far-reaehing scheme for planting
/ the awstes Of this country. The sys-
tematic operation which the commission
recommends is a gigantic one, and be-
/ fore the government can be committed
to IL in al its details, 1t win require
very careful consideration by body Of
experts skilled In forestry. am in
formed that there is a good deal Of
preliminary work which ought to be
undertaken before the government can
safely begin planting on the large scale
indicated ia that report.
Il will tell the House what we propose
to do: There is certain amount Of
money, not very much, spent in this
country, In a spasmodic kind of way
on what / may call the work of national
development, in ligtt railways, in har'
bors, IN indirect but very meager as
sistanee to agriculture. propose e
gather All these grants together into
one national development grant, and tC
put in this year an additional sum Of
100000 pounds for these purposes. Leg
islation win have To be introduced and
| / viii then explain tno objects in great
er detail, but the grant viii be used il
! the promotion of schemes which hav,
for their purpose the development 0,
the resources Of the country.
at viii include such objects - thu
institution Of schools OF forestry, kh'
purchase and preparation Of land fol
aiforestation, the setting up Of aunbe
Of experimental forests upon a hTF'
scale expenditure upon seientife n
| search in the interests Of agriculture
experimental farms, the Improvement D
stock, the equipment Of agencies 70
disseminating agricultural instruction
the encouragement and the promotion
Of corporation, the Improvement II RI
4 raj transport SO as to make Market
more accessible, the faoilitation Of al
well considered schemes for attractin.
labor back to the land by small holding
Or reclamation Of wastes, Every acr'
Of land brought into cultivation, sver,
acre Of cultivated land brought into !
higher state Of cultivation, means n1or'
labor Of a healthy and productive ehax
aeter; it means more abundant, cheaper
and better food for the people"
Il Other authorities estimate that Their
are about 20000,000 acres of waste Ian,
in the United Kingdom, and that a
/ least half OF this area. or l000000I
acres. is suitable for tree growth ani
viii produce timber if planted. A year
ly appropriation for forcstation and ma
tional development along the lines indi
Gated in the ehancellor's speech woul,
ultimately result in immense benefit t
the country, and make it far less de
I pendent than at present upon foreig
sources of timber supply which, il
many cases, are decreasing.
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