News and Notes 137 



fire on cut-over lands, especially those bearing young forest 

 growth at the present time. 



Under the fire regulations of the Board of Railway Commis- 

 sioners, the railway fire protection work has been continued along 

 the lines of organization and policy established during 1912 and 

 1913. Steady progress has been made, and the railways are 

 becoming increasingly efficient, not only in handling their own 

 fires, but in cooperating for the extinguishment of outside fires. 

 A small beginning has been made by some of the provincial 

 governments and by private individuals, in the removal of inflam- 

 mable debris on lands adjacent to railway rights of way. How- 

 ever, as a general proposition, this problem remains for the 

 future. The merit system of appointments in Dominion and 

 provincial fire protective organizations was advocated, such 

 appointments being at present on the. patronage basis. 



While the Dominion Forestry Branch is well equipped with 

 men technically trained in forestry, and is administering the 

 Dominion forest reserves in the west, as well as affording fire- 

 protection both within and outside these reserves, it has absolutely 

 no connection at the present time with the administration of cut- 

 ting regulations on the licensed timber berths, although many 

 of these berths are included within the boundaries of the reserves. 

 This is because the timber berths are not legally a portion of the 

 forest reserves. At the same time, the Timber and Grazing 

 Branch, which is charged with the administration of the timber 

 berths, has not, so far as known, even one man in its employ who 

 has had any training in forestry whatever. 



The licensed timber berths naturally include the bulk of 

 merchantable accessible timber on crown lands, and it is obviously 

 illogical and thoroughly undesirable in every way to permit the 

 cutting of this timber without the most careful and intelligent 

 enforcement of the existing regulations, which have for their 

 object the perpetuation of the forest, by wise use. Such enforce- 

 ment is, however, not now provided, and is impossible under 

 existing conditions of organization. 



This situation is closely parallel to that which existed in the 

 United States prior to 1905, when the Federal forest reserves 

 were administered by the General Land Office, the Bureau of 

 Forestry then being only an investigative and advisory organi- 

 zation. 



