580 Forestry Quarterly. 



backwoods of Quebec and Ontario, this system would not work. 



3. It is, therefore, apparent that different laws and organiza- 

 tions even for different parts of the same province may be desir- 

 able, or else a law which divides the province into fire districts 

 and leaves latitude to executive officers to devise methods applic- 

 able in the different districts. Altogether, it is wisdom to make 

 laws as little as possible specific in prescriptions, but place author- 

 ity in competent hands to frame rules for the execution of the 

 law, which may be changed as circumstances suggest. 



4. Preventive measures, including the rapid discovery and ex- 

 tinction of incipient fires, are the most needful ; legislation and 

 organization to prevent or reduce the chances of fires are of more 

 moment than the threat of punishment and attempts at extinguish- 

 ing fires after they have spread. All provinces have laws de- 

 signed to deter incendiarism, but in the majority of cases the 

 legislation is negative rather than positive, permissive rather than 

 mandatory. In view of the gravity of the situation and of the 

 careless attitude of the public more restrictive and special edu- 

 cative measures are needed. 



5. Three different agencies are mainly responsible for forest 

 fires, and must be provided for separately, railroads, settlers, and 

 other persons coming into the woods for various purposes. The 

 first two are readily found out and made responsible ; special 

 means are necessary to find out and make responsible the casual 

 visitors. 



C. Railroad Legislation. 



An exhaustive report by the Public Service Commission of the 

 state of New York made in 1909, discussing in great detail, sup- 

 ported by expert testimony, the possibilities of preventing fires 

 from locomotives, which seem to be responsible for somewhat 

 less than 40% of forest fires in the Adirondacks forms an excel- 

 lent basis for discussion of this problem. The report declares : 

 "The remedies proposed by the railroad companies which include 

 improvements in coal burning locomotives, cleaning right of way, 

 patroling, telephone system, fire trains, are inadequate, because: 



"First, the improvements in coal burning locomotives are not 

 sufficiently radical to meet the conditions ; 



"Second, the remedies proposed are complex, involving con- 

 tinuous and effective supervision, and past experience has shown 

 that such supervision may not be efficiently exercised when most 

 needed ; 



"Third, the legal restriction mentioned (in cleaning right of 

 way, peculiar to New York) handicaps the railroads in the effec- 

 tive application of their remedies." 



The Commission orders the installation of oil-burning locomo- 

 tives during the day time, while the dangerous season lasts, it 

 having been shown that no fires start at night. 



