12 FOREST COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 



Forest Commissioner and Preservation of Forests. 



Sec. 28. Land agent made forest commissioner ; duties; report; 

 deputy forest commissioner; tenure. R. S. c. 7, § 51. 190'.', c. 103, § 12. 

 The land agent shall be forest commissioner of the state. He shall 

 make a collection and classification of statistics relating to the forests 

 and connected interests of the state, and institute an inquiry into tht 

 extent to which the fores'ts of the state are being destroyed by fires 

 and by wasteful cutting, and ascertain so far as 1 e can as to th« diminu- 

 tion of the wooded surface of the land upon the watersheds of the 

 lakes, rivers and water powers of the state and the effect of such dimi- 

 nution upon the water powers and on the natural conditions of the 

 climate. The information so gathered by him, together with his sug- 

 gestions relative thereto shall be included in the report to be made by 

 him biennially to the governor on or before the first day of December. 

 The chief clerk to the land agent shall be deputy forest commissioner. 

 He shall hold office during the pleasure of the forest commissioner and 

 perform such duties as the latter may prescribe. 



Sec. 29. Selectmen shall be fire wardens; ditties and authority; com- 

 pensation; penalty for refusing to assist; damages in case of neglect of 

 selectmen; application to cities. R. S. c. 7, § 52. 1909,- c. 164, § 1. The 

 selectmen of towns shall be forest fire wardens therein, and the ser- 

 vices of such selectmen acting as said fire wardens, shall be paid for at 

 the same rate as is paid for their other official services. Whenever a 

 fire is discovered, fire wardens shall take such measures as may be 

 necessary for its control and extinguishment. For this purpose they 

 may call upon any persons in the town for assistance, and such per- 

 sons shall receive such compensation, not exceeding twenty cents per 

 hour, as said selectmen may determine, the same to be paid by the town ; 

 provided that no town shall be holden to pay for extinguishing forest 

 fires in any year an amount greater than two per cent upon its valua- 

 tion for purposes of taxation. If any person so ordered to assist and 

 not excused from said service by said forest fire wardens on account 

 of sickness, disability, or some important business or engagement, shall 

 neglect to comply with any such order he shall forfeit the sum of ten 

 dollars, to be recovered in action of debt in the name and to the use of 

 the town, by the treasurer thereof. If any person shall suffer damage 

 from fire in consequence of the negligence or neglect of the selectmen 

 of any town to perform the duties required by this section, such person 

 shall have an action on the case to recover from the town where the 

 fire occurs to the amount of his damages so sustained not to exceed 

 two per cent of the valuation of said town. This section shall also 

 apply to cities. The chief engineers of the fire departments of cities 

 shall be forest fire wardens and shall have the same powers and duties 

 in carrying out the provisions hereof as selectmen of towns. 



Sec. 30. Forest districts to be established; chief forest fire warden, 

 and deputies; tenure of office. 1905, c. 44, §§ 1, 2. The forest commis- 



