News and Notes. 301 



to submit to the Chief Fire Inspector at some convenient time or 

 times during each month of the fire season a brief statement of 

 the railway tire situation within the territory under his jurisdiction 

 as an officer of the Board. This need not be a detailed report, 

 but should cover briefly the general features of the situation, with 

 particular reference to the compliance of the companies with the 

 requirements made of them, the general efficiency of such mea- 

 sures, the general weather conditions, and a general statement as 

 to the amount of railway fire damage since the last report. This 

 action is essential in order that the Board may maintain proper 

 touch with the field situation. To some extent, this action may, 

 if preferred, be taken by forwarding carbon copies of weekly or 

 monthly reports submitted by Divisional Fire Inspectors. 



The Board of Railway Commissioners can pay no accounts for 

 fire-fighting work. This is a matter which must be handled 

 between the Railway Companies on the one hand, and the 

 Dominion or Provincial authorities on the other, according to 

 the Regulations of the Board and existing Dominion or Provincial 

 legislation. In cases where co-operative agreements can be made 

 between the Companies and the Dominion or Provincial Depart- 

 ment concerned, this will simplify the matter very materially. It 

 is assumed that the first effort will, in any event, be to extinguish 

 the fire immediately, leaving the question of re-inmbursement for 

 the cost to be settled later. It is also assumed that in case of a 

 fire for which the Railway Company is presumably responsible, 

 the railway official will be in charge ; and the local offi.cer of the 

 Board will assist so far as possible, but will not take charge, 

 unless so requested by the railway representative. 



A careful check should be made in case of every fire, to 

 determine definitely whether trainmen and agents have complied 

 with the requirements of Regulation 14, with regard to notifying 

 railway employees and forest officers of fires occurring along 

 rights of way. Each case of infraction should be reported to the 

 higher officials of the Company, in order to secure complete ob- 

 servance of the Order in case of future fires- 



The condition of the right of way should be reported on at the 

 end of each season, but a special report should be submitted 

 whenever immediate attention is needed with regard to any 

 particular portion of the line. Successive reports should then 

 be submitted at short intervals on the progress of the work, in 

 order that the matter may be further taken up with the Company 

 if necessary. 



The utmost freedom of suggestion by field officers is invited, 

 with regard to any feature of the work under Order 16570. 



The Harvard Forest School has made a very decided change 

 in its program by lengthening the first year of the two-year post- 



