844 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The total expenditures from the above sources for the work of the 

 Forest Service, inchidinj^ extra expenditures for fire fighting, were 

 therefore S5,919,939.9G. The $1,086,590.89 which, as already stated, 

 was disbursed in fighting fires covers only the charges incurred 

 specilically for this purpose, i. e., the hire of temporary laborers when 

 the regular force ol forest officers is too small to handle the fires, 

 payments for transporting and provisioning these men, the purchase 

 of tools for their use on the fire line, etc. In addition there was the 

 cost of the regula. protective force of nearly 1,500 rangers and over 

 500 guards, and also that of the sujiplies and equipment and field and 

 station expenses for other purposes than fire fighting. These four 

 headings of (a) extra expenditures of fighting forest fires, (6) cost of 

 regular protective force, and (c) cost of field and station expenses, 

 supplies, ami equipment, together with (d) the cost of permanent 

 improvements on the National Forests, make up the strictly field 

 expenditures on the Forests; though the charge entered below under 

 the head of (e) supervision and inspection includes both salaries and 

 traveling expenses of supervisors and deputy supervisors on the 

 Forests, whose duties involve to a large extent work, both office and 

 field, which are not, strictly speaking, supervisory. 



This item of supervision and inspection includes also the salaries 

 and expenses of tlie supervisory men in the six district offices. The 

 other items in the cost of National Forest administration are (/) 

 technical assistance, which includes the services of timber and mining 

 experts, engineers, land examiners, etc., as well as forest examiners 

 and forest assistants, and (g) clerical, law, and accounts work. The 

 amount of the charge for each of these items is shown below: 



Expenditures for the National Forests (not including expenses at Washington): 



(a) Fighting forest fires $1, 086, 590. 89 



lb) Protective force 1,786,548.43 



(c) I leld and station expenses, supplies and equipment 841, 672. 51 



Id) Permanent improvements 273, 634. 42 



(e) Supervision and inspection 580, 720. 07 



if) Technical assistance 393, 922. 25 



{g) Clerical (including law and accounts) 402, 534. 96 



Total 5,365,623.53 



The remaining expenditures for the Forest Service are partlv for 

 the support of the Washington office, partly for the Madison labo- 

 ratory. At the Madison laboratory are concentrated the technical 

 studies having to do with forest products. The cost of the Washing- 

 ton office covers general supervision of the entire work of the Forest 

 Service, including the administration of the National Forests; the 

 cost of all scientific investigations; and also a gre; t deal of routine 

 work for the National Forests which can be done more economically 

 at Washington than in the districts, either because of the advantage 

 of concentrating the work or because of the necessity of consulting 

 the records of the General Land Office. 



Adding in the cost of the Washington office and the Madison labo- 

 ratory, the total expenditures of the year become: 



National Forests (not including expenses at Washington) $5, 365, 623. 53 



Madison laboratory 158, 710. 69 



Washington office 395,605.74 



Total 5,919,939.96 



