28 , FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 



Sec. 55. Whoever by himself, or by his servant, agent or guide, or 

 as the servant, agent or guide of any other person, shall build a camp, 

 cooking or other fire, or use an abandoned camp, in or adjacent to 

 any woods in this state, shall, before leaving such fire, totally extinguish 

 the same, and upon failure to do so such person shall be punished by 

 a fine of fifty dollars, provided that such fires built upon the sea beach 

 in sucli situation that they cannot spread into forest wood or cultivated 

 lands or meadows, shall not be construed as prohibited by this section. 

 One half of any fine imposed and collected under this section shall be 

 paid to the complainant. 



Sec. 56. Selectmen shall erect in a conspicuous place at the side 

 of every highway, as they may deem proper, and suitable distances 

 alongside the rivers and lakes of the state frequented by camping parties, 

 tourists, hunters and fishermen, in their repective towns, notices in 

 large letters to be furnished by the forest commissioner, substantially 

 in the following form : ''Camp fires must be totally extinguished be- 

 fore breaking camp, under penalty of not to exceed one month's im- 

 prisonment or one hundred dollars fine, or both as provided by law, 

 Forest Commissioner." The forest commis- 

 sioner shall furnish owners of wood lands situated within this state, 

 when called upon to do so, notices of similar tenor, to be posted at 

 the expense of said owners upon their respective lands. 



'Sec. 58. Municipal officers in towns shall proceed immediately to a 

 strict inquiry into the cause and origin of fires within wood lands, and 

 in all cases where such fires are found to have originated from the 

 unlawful act of any person, to cause the ofifender to be prosecuted with- 

 out delay.' 



'Sec. 59. The selectmen of towns in which a forest fire of more than 

 one acre in extent has occurred, within a month shall report to the 

 forest commissioner the extent of area burned over, to the best of 

 their information, together with the probable amount of propertv de- 

 stroyed, specifying the value of timber as near as may be, and the 

 amount of cord wood, logs, bark or other forest products, fencing, 

 l)ridges and buildings that have been burned. They shall also report 

 the cause of these fires if they can be ascertained, and the measures 

 employed and found effective in checking their progress. Blanks for the 

 reports required in this act shall be furnished by said forest commissioner 

 at the expense of the state.' 



