Development of Forest Policy. 429 



though, voices of prominent Canadians, like that of 

 James and William Little, and Sir Henry Joly de 

 Lotbiniere had been heard before in advocacy of a 

 more far-seeing policy, the meeting of the American 

 Forestry Congress at Montreal in 1882, (see p. 480) 

 may be set as the date of the inception of this move- 

 ment in Canada. 



The definite result of that meeting was the inaugu- 

 ration of forest fire legislation in the various provinces. 

 In the Province of Ontario, the Fire Act of 1878, 

 which had until then remained a dead letter, was im- 

 proved, in 1885, by inaugurating a fire ranger system, 

 in which limit holders pay one-half the cost of the 

 rangers. The force of fire fighters, 37 in the first 

 year was gradually increased until, in 1910, nearly 1000 

 were employed at a cost of $300,000. In that year a 

 change was made, the whole service including in- 

 spection being charged against the limit holder. In 

 New Brunswick, a fire law was passed in 1885, followed, 

 in 1897, by the introduction of the Ontario ranger 

 system. In 1883, Nova Scotia passed a forest fire 

 law, which, like that of Mew Brunswick, remained in- 

 effective for lack of machinery; this was not provided 

 until 1904, and since then has worked most satisfac- 

 torily. Recently a forest survey of this Province was 

 made. Quebec also enacted fire legislation in 1883, but 

 did not provide means to carry it into effect until 1889. 

 Since at first only $5,000 annually was^ allowed- for 

 its execution, and by 1901-2 not more than $7,226 

 was expended for fire protection over an area of 40 

 million acres, its effectiveness may be doubted. But 

 in 1905, a special Forest-Protection Branch, with a 



