Current Literature. 565 



fires, by the railways themselves. The railways not subject to 

 the jurisdiction of the Board constitute a minor percentage of 

 the total mileage of Canada, and in two of the provinces (British 

 Columbia and Quebec) these have been taken care of by pro- 

 vincial legislation of a character closely similar to that of the Do- 

 minion Board. 



For co-operative purposes the Chief Forester of the Commis- 

 sion of Conservation was appointed Chief Fire Inspector for the 

 Board of Railway Commissioners, and, as such, charged with the 

 enforcement of the above order, and with full power to prescribe 

 the exact patrol, etc., to be established. For inspection of the 

 work done by the railway companies, field officers were appointed 

 from officials of the Dominion and Provincial governments, most 

 of them engaged in forestry work. 



On the issuance of the order, attention was at once given to 

 the organization of patrol work in the West, conditions there 

 being more urgent than in eastern Canada. On those portions 

 of the lines where the fire risk was small, the regular employees 

 (section-men, track-walkers, etc.) performed patrol duties as part 

 of their regular work. This was particularly the case on portions 

 of the systems where oil fuel was used. Where the fire danger 

 was sufficiently great, special patrols were required of the com- 

 panies, by men either on foot or with speeder. The local officers 

 of the Board have authority to modify locally the patrol require- 

 ments according to climatic conditions. 



Owing to the time needed for organization of the work, it was 

 quite late in the season before the special patrols were actually 

 in effect. Fortunately, the season was wet, and fires were not 

 serious. An incomplete list of those occurring adjacent to rail- 

 way lines in the West shows a total of 200 fires (exclusive of 

 prairie fires), of which 164 were set by trains. In all, some 25,- 

 000 acres were burned over, of which 1,300 acres were timber 

 land and 17,000 acres young forest growth. The property de- 

 stroyed was valued at $88,500. 



The question of fire-guards in the prairie sections was largely 

 left over till the next season. 



As related to the problem of forest protection, chapters are 

 next devoted to Slash Disposal, Top-Lopping in New York State, 

 and Use of Oil as Locomotive Fuel, respectively. 



In the chapter on slash disposal, the menace of lumbering and 



