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rewards for detection of incendiaries, and the remainder appear to 

 wholly ignore the act. 



I would, therefore, most respectfully submit for your consideration 

 that the Act of June 2, 1870, be amended: First, to compel the com- 

 missioners of the various counties to appoint detectives, as specified 

 already in the act; and, second, to place half of the cost of the ser- 

 vices upon the State. 



Nothing more inequitable appears upon our statute books than 

 the law as it now stands. The benefits of continuous, even water 

 flow, guarding against freshets on the one hand and low water on 

 the other, accrue to the entire community. The most potent factor 

 in ensuring this desirable condition is the forest cover upon the head- 

 waters of the streams. The counties with the largest areas of 

 timber, or even brush land, are those most active in guarding tli 

 water flow of the State, but they also have the smallest population. 

 For the State's good they are, as the law now is, compelled to pro- 

 tect the largest areas, to pay out the most for the common good, 

 while on the one hand they have the smallest income by tax, and on 

 the other they receive the least from the State for the services ren- 

 dered. The counties with the largest revenues would never feel 

 the drain upon them in protecting their forest areas, while a similar 

 service would keep Pike or Forest counties in a condition of bank- 

 ruptcy. 



It is now well understood that the actual loss to the Stale each 

 year from forest fires is enormous (greatly exceeding any cost of pro- 

 tection), but the destruction of young timber, of leaf mould and of 

 good soil from the same cause is, if possible, a vastly greater 

 calamity. In short, it is so great that it is no mere figure of speech 

 to say it threatens the continued prosperity of the Commonwealth. 

 In the present state of public information upon this important topic 

 it would seem to be the duty of the State to keep continually before 

 ils citizens the fact that forest fires are a public foe. To this end, 

 I would respectfully suggest that constables be required by law to 

 n-pnH al each court of quarter sessions the number of fires within 

 their districts, the season at which they occurred, the causes thereof, 

 the damage done, and the measures taken to apprehend those who 

 caused th^ni. the said report to be made in duplicate upon blanks 

 furnished by the Commissioner of Forestry, and that one copy be re- 

 tained by the <-onrt and the other be forwarded promptly by 

 mail to the Commissioner of Forestry, and that the constables be paid 

 jointly by 1he counties and the Commonwealth for the service. 



In this connection, it mijrht be well to call attention to the fact 

 that in some instances it was found to be impossible to obtain from 

 county officials information, which it was not less for tho good of 

 the f-ountv than of the Commonwealth, should be published. With 



