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CHAPTER lI—ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF CONGRESS 1. General Description of the Congress.—Delegates, assembled in Helsinki, first took part in one of a number of organized excursions on 7tli, Bth, and 9th July. Each excursion of several hundred miles introduced delegates to representative Finnish forests and forest industries, and provided a valuable opportunity for informal discussion and establishment of personal contacts before commencement of formal Congress proceedings. The total membership of the Congress was 535, representing twenty-nine countries and four international organizations, including FAO. The most conspicuous absentee countries from the Congress were China and South Africa. Scandinavia and northern European countries were particularly well represented by forest industrialists and economists, research foresters, and educationists, which resulted in many valuable contacts being made by the members of the New Zealand •delegation, greatly to the benefit of their subsequent investigations. The first plenary session on 11th July elected the President of the Congress (Professor E. Saari, of Finland), three Co-Presidents, five Vice-Presidents, five Chairmen and ten Vice-Chairmen, a Drafting Committee of eight, and a Secretary-General (Mr. H. Leppo, of Finland). In accordance with the rules of procedure, the General Committee included the President, Co-Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Chairmen of Sections, Secretary-General, and a FAO representative. The Congress was opened by the Prime Minister of Finland, Mr. K. A. Fagerholm, and welcomed by His Excellency, Mr. J. K. Passikivi, the President of the Republic of Finland. Messages expressing the good wishes of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations were brought by their respective representatives, Mr. D. Roy Cameron and Mr. Marcel Leloup. At the second plenary session, in the afternoon of 11th July, Mr. Leloup presented a report on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the role of the Organization's Forestry and Forest Products Division, and the results expected from the third World Forestry Congress. Other general reports presented by FAO were on Forest Resources and Human Needs for Wood (Mr. Harrison), and on the Conversion of Virgin Forests into Managed Forests (Mr. Francois). The third plenary session was held in the morning of the 12th July : Mr. Scarvenius {FAO) presented a paper on Silviculture and Workers, and was followed by Mr. Glesinger (FAO), who presented a report on Silviculture as Affected by Present-day Trends in the Forest Industries. Mr. Streffert, of Sweden, then presented a paper on the Effect of Industrial and Chemical Development on Silviculture and Forest Management. Mr. Fontaine (FAO) presented a paper on Forest Combines; and, finally, Mr. Fjellstad, of Norway, gave a brief historical survey, based on his long personal experience, of the development of international co-operation in forestry. The afternoon of the 12th July and the following four days (13th-16th July) were occupied in Section meetings. The General Committee summarized the work of Sections on 17th and 18th., and prepared, the general report on the Congress for submission to the jfinal plenary session on the 19th July. The report, after discussion and minor amendment, was duly adopted, and was printed and distributed before delegates left Finland. 2. Organization of the Congress.—The preliminary organization of the Congress was undertaken by a Committee of twenty-four Finnish foresters and industrialists appointed by the Government. A team of eight FAO officials co-operated in the organization of

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