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2 are looked upon with suspicion or disfavor, is much to be deprecated. No pro-
3 Means of acqurngknow- fession is so badly off as we are, for both technical educa-
4 ledye sadly wanting. tion or the means of acquiring knowledge. Now in other
5 professions it is quite different ; no Engineer who had not received a technical
6 education would be employed, and every one of them has a good supply of
7 standard books and tables for reference. But even ifit be true that circum-
8 stances compelled the employment of Forest Officers with-
9 out previous training, still it is remarkable that no effort
10 is made (or scarcely allowed) to supply them with any means of informing
11 themselves. We have no English forest literature (with the solitary exception
12 of Jumes Brown's book, which is of no great use 1n India) and therefore the
13 only thing we can do is to try and put together useful papers of hints on
14 Apprehension of Officers Forestry, translate foreign books, and encourage an inter-
15 becoming theorists. communication of ideas. That reading books or the
16 occasional writing on a professional subject, will make a Forest Officer a theorist,
17 and make him neglect ‘his work,’ 1s an idea too groundless for argument ;
18 for what example or instance is these leading to such aconclusion ?
19 No books of refernnce.
20 313. If it is true here, how was it that in an allied profession our existing
21 splendid Engineering literature was created, and why are not Engineers dis-
22 couraged from reading or writing? [ hope, therefore, that such attempts as these
23 Forest conferences will not be discouraged. Last year we had a series of
24 papers read with much useful conversation ; everything was of a practical
25 nature, and models, drawings, maps and specimens were exhibited. 1 do not
26 believe that it was the opinion of any one present, that the time was wasted
27 or ill-spent ; and the system should be extended, so that other departmental
28 officers may give the benefit of their experience in kindred subjects. The infu-
29 sion of profession and technical knowledge is, as a rule,so lamentably wanting
30 in our staff that I am perfectly certain it will take decades before any one of our
31 officers has to be reproved for writing theoretical papers, instead of working his
32 forests.
33 814. This being the only opportunity I have for speaking a word of expla-
34 nation about the conferences proposed by me, I trust the digression from a
35 practical account of work, may be pardoned. Indeed it is difficult to say
36 anything about forest work generally that is not strictly inadmissible in an
37 annual report.
38 315. System is the great thing we want, and I think progress towards
39 it has been made; but system will only be fully attained
40 System wanted ; wayto when “working plans” are made. And these plans cannot
41 ican be made unless a resolution is taken to have a staff, few at
42 first, of competent officers, who can be sent from place to place to take up the
43 work, beginning with the most pressing.
44 316. The system of account auditing by this Office has worked well, and
45 will work better as soon as some of the old balances and
46 matters that are a fruitful source of correspondence are
47 finally cleared off; for these occupy much time.
48 Account office.
49 317. I also think that the subject of remittances to treasuries, and the
50 System of remittances, SYStem of receipts and questions of inter-departmental
51 receipts, &c, urgehtly calle credits and debits require revision; one-half the time of
52 ae eee the Officer in charge of the Account Office is taken up with
53 enquiries and correspondence,—first with the Accountant-General, and then with
54 local officers,—correspondence of the most utterly useless but exceedingly vexa-
55 . _ tious character. These also lead to the greatest delay in
56 Pon oe Cae preparation of accounts. This Report was delayed, (though
57 ablo the materials were on my table in April) because I could
58 not prepare it without having the returns and statements
59 to illustrate it, and these could not be prepared till the Accountant-General had
60 adjusted his accounts, and got them to agree with ours, or vce versd,—the
61 differences being due to the fact that one officer may charge an item on the day
62 he makes the payment, and there will be no per contra credit or debit in the