24 CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



A voice. How much did he burn? 



Mr. LEAMY. A million feet; well, perhaps I should not say as much as a million 

 feet, I do not want to exaggerate, but it is a faet just the same that many people have 

 destroyed -the timber in clearing their land and afterwards made no use of the land. 



I have brought a couple of photographs with me which I would like the mem- 

 bers of the association to see. They will give them some idea of what these people 

 have to contend with in clearing their land and what they will destroy in order to 

 get a few acres of agricultural land. 



As I have a couple of friends with me here from British Columbia, I will not 

 take up any more of your time. I did not have an opportunity to prepare anything 

 which I might present to you in a readable form; perhaps my friends from British 

 Columbia would like to say a few words to you; they know all about the subject and 

 are representatives of two of the largest lumber firms in the province. Possibly yon 

 might be interested to hear their views as to the efficacy of the fire ranging system 

 which is now in force in the province and the good it has accomplished. 



Before closing, I wish to tell you that when I asked the mill-owners if they would 

 consider the question of establishing fire rangers and paying one-half of the expense, 

 they immediately said, ' Certainly we want the fire rangers ; we are willing to try any- 

 thing to save the timber.' The mill-owners have a large amount of capital invested 

 and I think that when business men will talk in this emphatic manner it means some- 

 thing. I have to thank these gentlemen for their very able assistance in carrying out 

 the details of the fire-ranging system in British Columbia. 



There is just one other point and it is that I would like to see the magistrates 

 do their duty ; I will do mine as far as I am able but if I am not assisted by those en- 

 trusted with the administration of the law, I can accomplish but little on my own 

 account towards preserving the timber in the railway belt of British Columbia. 



Hon. Mr. BOSTOCK. I am very pleased to see here to-day so many representatives 

 from the different provinces, and particularly from the province of British Columbia. I 

 am sure it is a great source of satisfaction to them, as it is to myself, to be able to 

 get here in time so that they might be able to attend this meeting, because I have 

 found since I have become a member of the association that there is always consider- 

 able difficulty in getting gentlemen from British Columbia to join the association, 

 because they say it is difficult to attend the meetings. Up to this time I must 

 confess it has been a source of some difficulty owing to the impossibility of arranging 

 anything in the way of transportation, but, 1 wish to congratulate the secretary of 

 this association on having been able to arrange with the railways this year to grant 

 us better terms, and so induce us to come down and attend the meeting. 



I have listened with a great deal of pleasure to what has been said, and I want 

 to compliment Mr. Leamy on his statement of the work he has done in British Col- 

 umbia. I consider that he has carried out the work in the most satisfactory manner, 

 but I am sorry that he is confined to such a very small section of the province. 



Of course, as the map shows, his district is large, but if you saw it in comparison 

 with a map of the province of British Columbia you would at once agree with me 

 that his district is but a small portion of the province. 



