CO129-568-6 Botanical and Forestry Department- proposed expansion and reorganisation 4-10-1938 - 14-7-1939 — Page 21

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MEMORANDUM RE ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES OF

FORESTRY IN HONG KONG.

In view of the note of the Director, Imperial

Forestry Institute to the Secretary of State for the

Colonies enclosed with the Secretary of State's despatch No.6 of 6th January, 1939, it is considered that a paper on the subject generally should help in arriving at a decision on the proposal to investigate the economic possibilities

of Forestry in Hong Kong by an officer of the Malayan

Forestry Service. This paper is divided into the following heads: (1) Discussion of the Director, Imperial Forestry Institute's Report (2) Statement re Forestry in Hong Kong and (3) Value of an Independent Survey.

1. Discussion of the Director. Imperial Forestry Institute's

Report.

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The Report can be divided into three sections

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(a) the necessity for

Section I - This deals with

data from which to judge the present condition of

Forestry in Hong Kong. In regard to this, Standard

Forms are being used in the Departmental Annual Report for 1938 (in so far as they apply) and there-

fore, this point is being met. (b) the absence of

local knowledge. It is considered that this is the

most important thing in any assessment of local

forestry possibilities, as the conditions of forestry

in Hong Kong are so much different from those in other

Colonies that no useful opinion could be formed

without it, in other words the economics of Hong Kong

forestry will be difficult to measure by the yardstick

of other Colonies, owing to its peculiarly local

conditions.

Section II

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Deals with (a) various details affecting

matters generally. These need not be discussed here

as they are dealt with in a later section of this