88 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



Appendix No. 28 



I — Forest Fire Protection 



(1) Legislation 



An Act to amend sections sixteen and seventeen of the Forest Fires Pre- 

 vention Act, 1930, and designed to correct some ambiguity in the wording of 

 these sections, was passed during the last session of the Legislature. It places 

 definitely upon the municipal corporations of organized townships within the 

 Fire District the responsibility of extinguishing fires within their borders and 

 provides for the collection of Departmental costs where for certain reasons it 

 is necessary for the Department to take action on a fire. It further provides 

 that the Department bear one-half of the total cost of extinguishing fires 

 originating on Crown land within these townships. 



This amendment was received with some protest on the part of township 

 authorities in some sections but in most districts was accepted with good 

 grace, especially when it became known that the law would be enforced with 

 reasonableness. 



One of the chief benefits of the bill is probably in educating the residents 

 of the townships to the realization that careless or wanton use of fire would be 

 reflected directly back to them in the way of increased taxation. It represents 

 a start towards making the organized townships independent of the Department 

 as regards protection from fire thus releasing a considerable force for use in 

 protection of Crown lands. 



On account of the high hazard prevailing at the time the Dryden and Lake 

 of the Woods pulp concessions were closed to travel between August 10th and 

 September 4th. 



(2) Organization and Personnel 



Due to the decreased appropriations and consequent reduction in staff a 

 constriction of the boundaries of the area in which we take action on fires was 

 found necessary. North of the northern line of the Canadian National Rail- 

 ways our efforts were confined to the settlements, timber limits, pulp conces- 

 sions and any communities or areas of considerable mining activity. 



In February the Pic River was made the boundary between Nipigon and 

 Franz divisions thereby enlarging the latter division by some two hundred 

 and fifty square miles. 



In March the township of Clyde which formerly belonged to the Canada 

 Land Company and which has lately reverted to the Crown was added to the 

 Fire District and included in the Algonquin South division. 



In May the township of Fortune was transferred from Kapuskasing divi- 

 sion to Foleyet West division. 



In April a change in nomenclature was made, "Inspectorate" being 

 changed to "District" and "Chief Ranger District" to "Division." "Inspec- 

 torate" now refers only to the territory under a Fire Inspector. 



Very few changes were made in the supervisory staff during the year. 



