28 REPORT OF THE FOREST COMMISSION. 



improvement. This may be ascribed partly to the policy pur- 

 sued by the Forest Commission of holding them for the costs 

 of putting out such fires, and partly to the action of the railroads 

 in constructing and maintaining fire lines. (See pp. 60 to 64.) 



Brush Fires. 



Fires of this nature are again, next to railroad fires, the largest 

 known class numerically, although it is noticeable that a con- 

 siderable number of reports have been received this year of brush 

 burning violations from which no forest fire resulted. While in 

 actual numbers the fires reported equal those of last year, yet, 

 in the promotion of a general knowledge of and respect for the 

 brush-burning law, the prompt imposition of an increased num- 

 ber of penalties has been a large advance. There have been 52 

 forest fires reported from this cause, with 13 additional cases in 

 which the area burned was insignificant. 



Permits. 



During the year there were 2,450 permits issued. The num- 

 ber of these permits points to the menace created each year by 

 this one class of fires, while the insignificant percentage of such 

 fires which escape to become forest fires, or even come to the 

 notice of the wardens as fires at all, testifies to the value of the 

 permits in insuring care in the use of fire where necessary. 

 Further, a falling off of more than 1,000 from the number of 

 permits issued last year, despite an equally strict enforcement of 

 the requirement, sustains the previous argument that the permit 

 clause in the law is curtailing needless burning with its consequent 

 risks. 



Smokers' Fires. 



No proper estimate can be made of the number of fires from 

 this cause. Although definite information indicates that but 15 

 forest fires and 4 small burnings are chargeable to it, it is certain 

 that could the fires now classed as unknown, but properly charge- 

 able to smokers, be so listed, the number would be largely in- 

 creased. Moreover, they are the most dangerous and persistent 



