3 o REPORT OF THE FOREST COMMISSION. 



It is particularly difficult to check this firing because the move- 

 ments of an offender are so uncertain and his departure from 

 the locality so rapid that evidence of identity is rarely available. 

 O'ften, too, a fire is left behind unconsciously. Despite the fact 

 that the most severe fire of the year, and several other bad burn- 

 ings also, were attributable to this source, responsibility was fixed 

 for but one insignificant fire. This instance evidenced how 

 troublesome it is to enforce a proper penalty. The offender was 

 a non-resident and having returned outside our jurisdiction 

 before the facts were known, the only penalty possible to 

 impose was to revoke his tourist's license. That was promptly 

 done by the State Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Thus to 

 the unusual difficulty of locating an offender is added in these 

 cases a strong likelihood of his being beyond reach of punish- 

 ment when located. 



PENAI/TIKS 



Never since the organization of the forest fire service has there 

 been shown such progress and efficiency in the punishment of 

 violators of the law. And this is a matter for congratulation 

 less because of the actual punishment of those concerned than 

 because it obviously tends toward increased care and watchful- 

 ness with fire where heretofore there was negligence or wilful 

 disregard of the law. An old trail is a dim: trail, but more and 

 more as the service becomes better organized is the former 

 unavoidable delay in investigating reported violations on the 

 mend. The new force of Division Firewardens recently added 

 is telling already, because of the attendant promptness in dis- 

 posing- of such work. There have been 206 cases, of the total 

 528 reported during the year, requiring investigation in the 

 field. In some instances the time spent was brief, though a num- 

 ber of fires demanded the time of a warden for periods reach- 

 ing into weeks. In spite of this amount of work, to which also 

 must be added a large share of time spent on older cases, it has 

 been possible during the present year to fix responsibility upon 

 and to penalize the offenders in 125 cases of the total 258 viola- 

 tion cases recorded in 1911. In Table VII these cases are item- 



