Mr. EDMUND HARVEYasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he can state when the scheme of afforestation which has been prepared by the Board may be expected to be published; whether a part of this scheme refers to England; whether the scheme provides for the direct planting of land in England by a Government Department on Crown lands or lands hereafter to be purchased,
1432W
VACCINATION IN SCOTLAND, 1901–10. Year. Births. Infants successfully vaccinated. Percentage of Infants successfully vaccinated. Statutory Declarations of Conscientious Objections. Small-pox cases reported to Local Government Board. Deaths from Small-pox. 1901 … 132,280 111,160 84.034 — 1,990 278 1902 … 132,360 112,775 85.203 — 915 80 1903 … 133,593 114,146 85.443 — 550 41 1904 … 132,663 112,383 84.713 — 2,527 185 1905 … 131,453 111,928 85.147 — 128 4 1906 … 132,056 109,809 83.153 253 23 1 1907 … 128,891 97,453 75.609 7,258 8 1 1908 … 131,406 91,194 69.399 15,846 82 6 1909 … 128,720 84,036 65.286 22,746 6 0 1910 … 124,000 † † † 11 0* * Figures for 1910 for the whole of Scotland are not yet available. The figure 0 is applicable only as regards the eight Principal Towns, and forty-eight Selected Registration Districts, having an estimated aggregate population of 2,717,595. † Figures not yet available. or whether the scheme is designed to encourage certain landowners to plant by means of loans secured on the timber; and whether he is in a position to make public any of the general features of the scheme?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYThe Board have not actually submitted their proposals on the subject of afforestation to the Development Commissioners, and this being the case it would be premature for me to make any public announcement as to their nature. I may say, however, that loans to landowners for the purpose of enabling them to plant trees could not be made out of the Development Fund.