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what upon these lines in any forest Bill or forest measures they may bring forward for the use of this colony. I have here a report on the State forests of Victoria, which is on almost similar lines, and also an article written by myself in a periodical called " Arts and Crafts." It is on Australian timbers. I give the list of timbers for bridges, railway-work, and ordinary building material. lam leaving these documents here, and I think from this you will gather just as much as if I had been talking on them for the last two or three hours. I thank you very heartily indeed for the manner in which I have been received, and I am very greatly impressed by what I have heard to-day. I regret very much indeed that I was not present during the first three or four days of your Conference. I feel that wherever Igol am always learning, and I hope that the few days that I have amongst you I will see a great deal more of the methods of working your timbers. Mr. Baker (Hawke's Bay) : Mr. Chairman, I think we should be lacking in courtesy not tomention the name of Professor Kirk, who has been really at the beck and call of every committee, and whose work has been very much canvassed and discussed, and therefore I have very great pleasure in proposing a vote of thanks to that gentleman. Mr. Perrin said he had great pleasure in seconding the motion, and, judging from Professor Kirk's work and whatever praise he was deserving of it should be fully accorded by those present. Professor Kirk had done good work, and he (Mr. Perrin) trusted he would long live to carry on.— Carried unanimously. Professor Kirk, in reply, said: Mr. Chairman, I thank you, Mr. Perrin, and the gentlemen present for the very appreciative way in which you have been pleased to acknowledge such services that I have been able to render. I think Mr. Perrin and myself would together say that the work has had attractions for us during all the time we have been engaged in it which no other work would have had. It has had a hold on us, and has, I think, taken up our best efforts and our most earnest persistence. I sincerely hope, and Ido not doubt, that this Conference will result in very good work indeed. I feel now that the question of forest conservation and forestry in its wider sense is in a position which it has never before attained in New Zealand. Ido not think that the Government will feel disposed to ignore the recommendations that will be made, and I thank you very much for the appreciative way in which you have been pleased to speak of me. Mr.'A. Falconer (Wellington) proposed, and Mr. W. L. Kennedy seconded, "That a vote of thanks be accorded to the chairman for the able way in which he had conducted the business of the Conference." —Carried unanimously. The Chairman, in reply, said: Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kind expressions. My position as chairman has been a labour of love for me. If I have said anything that has been in any way severe I trust you will overlook it. I think you have conducted yourselves in such a way as will reflect great credit upon the Conference. I think even Parliament could not have been conducted in a better way. Mr. Prouse (Wellington) : Mr. Chairman, before the Conference disperses, I would like to say, as the members have decided to accept the invitation to go to Levin to-morrow on a visit to Mr. P. Bartholomew's mill, I wish to extend an invitation to them to visit our mill also, and see our process for drying timber, which carries out the purpose for which it was erected splendidly. (Applause.) The Conference then dispersed.

The American Band-saw. On the following morning, Thursday, July 23rd, at the invitation of the Premier, the following members of the Conference who could avail themselves of the trip left town by special train on a visit to Messrs. P. Bartholomew and Prouse Brothers' mills at Levin: Hon. T. Thompson (representing the Government); Messrs. V. B. Trapp, President; L. J. Bagnall, Vice-President; G. S. Perrin, F.L.S. (Victoria); P. Bartholomew, Levin; John Waller, Christchurch; R. W. England, Christchurch; E. Larcomb, Palmerston North; W. M. Bell, Hokitika; J. C. Malfroy, Hokitika; W. Morris, Greymouth; D. McLeod, Hastings; R. Dickson, Blenheim; C. Nees, Okaramio; T. H. Ker, Christchurch; W. Brownlee, Havelock; J. Macfarlane, Tapanui ;W. F. Greenaway, Hawke's Bay ; F. Jenssen, Hawke's Bay ; J. Butler, Greymouth ; W. Jack, Southland; G. Mackie, Southland; A. McCallum, Southland; D. Macgregor (Cooper and Co.), Invercargill ;T. D. Scoullar, Wellington ; W. L. Bailey, Upper Taonui; T. Potts, Hokitika ;W. Marris, Westport ; C. Seabrook, Greymouth; B. L. Knight, Hastings; G. Malbin, Southland ; J. H. Dawson, Invercargill; G. Adsett, Pohangina; W. G. Haybittle, Feilding; H. J. Matthews,, Dunedin; H. Burger, Kumara; E. Snowball (Sash and Door Co.), New Plymouth; W. L. Kennedy, Stratford; J. McConnon, Kumara; H.Carlson, Dannevirke; C. White, Blenheim; J. Jay, Westland; J. Prouse, Levin; W. L. Luxford, Manawatu; J. Russell, Wellington; J. Murdoch, Wellington; J. Stewart, Wellington; James Freyberg, Wellington; also Mr. A. M.. Smith, Secretary to the Conference. On arriving at Levin, Mr. Peter Bartholomew conducted the visitors to his mill, where the band-saw was found to be in full swing. The machine is of American design, and was probably at the time of invention a great innovation on all known methods for cutting, inasmuch as it was supposed that band-saws could only be made lin. wide; now they are made up to 6in. and 9in., and proportionately long. It passes over two large wheels, and revolves at a rate sufficiently fast to cut, when driven at full speed, 20ft. in thirteen seconds. This must not be supposed to be the most perfect machine of the present day, as quite recently a Swiss has invented a saw working horizontally, which produces sawn timber at a speed very nearly double that of the American machine, although the cost is very much greater. Mr. Bartholomew's saw can work with saws 7—H. 24.