§ MR. A. K. LOYDI beg to ask the hon. Member for North Huntingdonshire, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether any progress has been made in carrying out the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on British Forestry; and, if so, will he state generally under which of the heads mentioned in the summary of conclusions at pages 9 and 10 of the Committee's Report.
§ MR. AILWYN FELLOWES (Huntingdonshire. Ramsey)The recommendations of the Departmental Committee on British Forestry have received the earnest consideration of my noble friend. A sum of money has been included in the Board's Estimates for the coming year, from which it is proposed to make grants to two collegiate institutions for the establishment of lectureships in forestry. Arrangements also have been made by the Office of Woods for courses of instruction to be given in the Forest of Dean for the training of young woodmen. The Board are now engaged in considering the preliminary arrangements for repeating the statistical inquiry recommended by the Committee, which will, they hope, be carried out next year after an interval of ten years. They have published a leaflet on the relation of Woods to Domestic Water Supply and have specially brought it to the notice of local authorities; and they have in hard a Return as to the afforestation of catchment areas. My hon. friend will find further details as to the action taken in regard to forestry education in an article contained in the April number of he Journal of the Board of Agriculture, a copy of which I shall be pleased to send him.