Report of the Department of Lands and Forests for fiscal year ending March 31, 1950 Page 14 



DIVISION OF AIR SERVICE 



General 



The fiscal year 1949-50 saw considerable expansion of the activities of this 

 Division. Provision had been made in the two previous years through the addition of 

 our new Hangar and the procurement of additional equipment — and the fiscal year 

 concerned saw us in a favorable position to undertake these expanded activities. The 

 fire season itself could be regarded as normal, and although there were more fires than 

 in the preceding two years, fewer reached the out-of-control stage, and the aggregate 

 damage as a result thereof was considerably less than in former years. We attribute 

 this, to some extent, to the fact that we now have more aeroplanes of a type that will 

 operate out of smaller bodies of water, thus enabling us to get at the source of incipient 

 fires much more easily and much more quickly than has been the case in the past. 



There has also been considerable expansion of the activities incident to Fish 

 and Wildlife administration. The inauguration of registered trap lines necessitated a 

 tremendous amount of travel by officers of the Fish and Wildlife Division, and in its 

 initial stages it probably required a lot more supervision than will be the case in 

 succeeding years when the program has become solidly established. This not only 

 involved increased travel in areas with which we had been dealing, but also involved 

 our taking in a very sizeable piece of country which we generally refer to as the 

 Patricia area. To facilitate travel in this district it became necessary to establish quite 

 a number of gasoline caches. We now carry gasoline at two points on Hudson's Bay, 

 namely, Weenusk and Severn, and quite a number of inland caches, among which are 

 Lansdowne House, Big Trout Lake, Big Sandy Lake, Bear Skin Lake, and several 

 others. Gasoline at most of these inland points has to be placed there either by air 

 or by winter transport — and because of the cost involved, we use as little as is neces- 

 sary, preferring rather to re-fuel our aeroplanes at points where the cost of fuel is 

 much less. 



Normal co-operation with other departments of Government was carried out as 

 usual. Considerable flying was done for the Department of Mines; the usual amount 

 for the Provincial Police, the Department of Health, the Department of Highways, 

 etc. Some measure of co-operation was also accorded the Federal Department of Indian 

 Affairs, with whom we work very closely in the establishing of registered trap lines. 



Emergency flights were carried out as required. 



Normal amiable relations were maintained with the Department of Transport 

 and with the Air Transport Board. 



New Construction and Expansion 



During the period involved the Department of Public Works built two new 

 year-round cottages and a workshop for us at Eva Lake; two more cottages and a 

 workshop at Carey Lake and Kenogami; and it seems quite probable that we will 

 require to open additional bases at Lauzon Lake and somewhere in the vicinity of 

 White River at which latter place a new District Headquarters has been established. 

 There are still a few odds and ends to be cleaned up in the absolute completion of our 

 new Hangar, but it is hoped that the Department of Public Works will complete this 

 project in the next fiscal period. 



Equipment 



During the year the Service took delivery of thirteen Beaver aircraft from the 

 DeHavilland Company of Canada, and most of these were put in service as they were 



