FOREST COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 75 



boro, a very public spirited citizen, an attempt was made to 

 establish a modern lookout station on Ossippee Hill in the town 

 of Waterboro. I personally visited the site of the proposed 

 tower and found it to be an excellent location overlooking a well 

 timbered area including part of the towns of Alfred, Limerick, 

 Shapleigh, Waterboro, Lyman, Hollis, Buxton and Newfield. 



I estimated the cost of a proper lookout with necessary tele- 

 phone connection at $400.00 with a further necessary expendi- 

 ture of $200.00 for manning the station for a necessary length 

 of time through the fire season. 



The proposition was submitted to the towns named above in 

 time for the annual March meeting. Alfred, Limerick, Shap- 

 leigh and Waterboro appropriated $50.00 each for the purpose. 

 With $200 subscribed and the allotment of an equal amount 

 from the Federal Department, everything was in readiness for 

 the erection of the station, as I had received assurance that the 

 funds for the manning of the station would be forthcoming 

 either from supplementary appropriation by the town or public 

 subscription. 



It was doubly surprising that the whole plan should be blocked 

 by a land owner, one who benefits most from forest protection, 

 who owned the top of the hill where the lookout was to be 

 placed. Such an exorbitant figure was placed on the value of 

 this privilege that all proceedings were immediately stopped. 

 Now that a start has been made in this direction, I am very 

 anxious that the difficulty may be removed and a station erected. 



Parsonsfield Project. 



The Sokokis Lumber Company of Kezar Falls were inter- 

 ested in the establishing of a patrol in the town of Parsonsfield 

 and as evidence of their interest contributed the sum of $100.00 

 to start the project. 



As stated previously the Federal Department cannot legally 

 offset private expenditure but any State expenditure for pro- 

 tective work outside of the Maine Forestry District was allowed 

 to offset the Federal allotment in any outside cooperative 

 project. 



Accordingly, there was alloted by the Government the sum of 

 $100.00 making a joint sum of $200.00 for the Parsonsfield pa- 



