198 North American Forests and Forestry 



by some central authority. Such a system is now 

 in fairly successful operation in the States of New 

 York and Minnesota, and to a certain extent in 

 Wisconsin and a few other States. 



The principle of this system is simply to have, 

 throughout the forest districts, as large a number 

 of persons as expedient chosen from among the 

 residents of each locality, whose special duty is to 

 see that the fire laws are enforced, and especially 

 that every fire burning unguarded in the woods is 

 at once detected and put out before it attains peril- 

 ous dimensions. For this purpose these fire war- 

 dens are empowered to call upon the people of their 

 districts to assist in putting out fires, and provision 

 is made for the compensation of the wardens and 

 their helpers for work actually done by them. The 

 local fire wardens ought to be appointed and be 

 subject to the supervision of a central authority at 

 the seat of the state government, in order to render 

 them, at least in some degree, independent of the 

 voters in their own locality. For efficient service need 

 never be expected, where the warden is dependent 

 on a local public opinion that is apt to consider 

 his work as officious interference and extravagant 

 burdening of the taxpayers. Being appointed by 

 a superior officer removed from such influences, 

 the local warden will also be more amenable to con- 

 trol and can be removed if he turns out incompetent 

 or inefficient. The superintendent ought to be en- 

 abled to become personally acquainted with each 

 warden, and visit each from time to time, and at 



