SERVICE NOTES FOR DECEMBER. 



These notes contain instructions and necessary information for 

 Forest officers, and will, therefore, be carefully read and kept on tile 

 for reference. 



OFFICE OF THE FORESTER. 



LAW. 



Criminal Action Recommended 



Cu'iir d'Alene National Forest: Cnlhane and Hanson saloon trespass. 

 Criminal Action Begun 



Lewis and Clarke National Forest: Sango Habino bound over to grand jury on a 

 charge of leaving fire to burn unattended near timber and other inflammable material. 



Cleveland National Forest: George Burnett and Earl Carmack indicted by grand 

 jury on October 30, 1908, for fire trespass. 



Civil Action Recommended 



The Attorney-* it'iieral has been requested to file a bill to restrain the Chicago, 

 Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Company from constructing a railroad across the 

 Coeur d'Alene National Forest in Idaho unless the railroad signs stipulations to pro- 

 tect the National Forest. He has also been requested to ask for a judgment of approx- 

 imately 43,000 for damages caused by unauthorized construction by the company. 



BRANCH OF OPERATION. 



Approval of Reports by Supervisors' Clerks 



In a number of cases in the past important reports have reached this office approved 

 by supervisors' clerks as acting supervisors. Since these reports are sometimes used 

 at hearings, it is important that the approving officer should be entirely competent 

 to pass on the correctness of the report. If a clerk in the supervisor's office is, in 

 addition to his special fitness for clerical work, qualified properly to pass on impor- 

 tant papers and reports, there is no objection to this; but since the recommendation 

 of the supervisor or acting supervisor is in most cases followed out, great care must 

 be exercised in the field that approval is not given in any case without careful con- 

 sideration by an officer fully qualified to judge of its merits. The prompt transaction 

 of business is desired, but should a supervisor be away from his office and not be 

 able to bring in a deputy or a ranger to act for him, important papers should be held 

 until his return unless his clerk has sufficient field experience to be fully qualified to 

 approve them. 



Rangers' Special Use Reports 



A new form, No. 399, has been prepared for the use of field officers in reporting 

 to supervisors on special-use permits. The Supply Depot at Ogden will furnish a 

 supply of this form to each supervisor. It is suggested that where the abuse of uses 

 such as pastures, drift fences, and dipping vats would result in injury to the National 

 Forests reports on Form 399 be required at least quarterly. Probably on other uses 

 semiannual reports will be sufficient. 



Reservoirs and Conduits 



The following letter has been received from the Reclamation Service. Until the 

 supervisors receive the maps mentioned in the letter the should continue to refer 

 each application f or a reservoi r or conduit permit to the Reclamation engineer under 

 the instructions on page 65 of The Use Book. 



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