§ Mr. JOHN ROBERTSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the admitted importance of tree culture in Egypt, he will recommend to the Egyptian Government the expediency of establishing a thoroughgoing system of afforestation.
§ Sir E. GREYThe question whether the establishment of a system of afforestation is advisable is clearly one for the decision of the Egyptian Government, who alone are in a position to judge whether such a step would at present be justified from a financial point of view, and, if so, whether financial resources permit of it.
§ Mr. J. D. REESMay I inquire whether a thorough-going system of afforestation has yet been attempted in England, and whether it is reasonable to ask the Egyptian Government to make the desert blossom like the rose?
§ Sir E. GREYThat is hardly a Foreign Office question.