50 ANNUAL REPORT OF 



EXPENSE OF MINNESOTA'S FIRE WARDEN SYSTEM. 



The State Auditor's printed reports show the expendi- 

 tures under the fire warden law. The expenses which 

 the various counties have incurred under the law has 

 averaged only $2,000 a year, and the expense which the 

 state has incurred has averaged about $6,000 in round 

 numbers. Total $8,000; of which at least $1,500 a year 

 has been incurred for printing. We have seen that the 

 expense of Ontario's system for preventing and suppress- 

 ing forest fires amounted to, in 1902, $68,400, half of which 

 was paid by the Government. For actual work in the 

 field, therefore, Minnesota has expended only about a fifth 

 part as much as the Government of Ontario. I am satis- 

 fied that if the appropriations for fire warden service were 

 more liberal, and if fire wardens could be certain of rea- 

 sonable compensation, the service would be more efficient. 



The reports of fire wardens during the eight years that 

 the fire warden law has been in operation show that the 

 number of acres burned over by forest fires amounted in 

 the aggregate for the eight years to 370,613, but consist- 

 ing mostly of cut-over land and meadows; and that the 

 damage amounted in the aggregate to $251,602, being an 

 average of $31,200 per year. 



VERY DANGEROUS WEATHER. 



Let us imagine that we are in the midst of a very dan- 

 gerous season; that there has been no rain for about a 

 month and that everything in the woods is in a combus- 

 tible condition. Campers and tourists, hunters, land 

 seekers, mineral prospectors and cruisers are all active, 

 and in hundreds of places some new settler may be 

 engaged in clearing land. The risk of fire will be very 

 great. Under such conditions what are the fire wardens 

 to do ? They should have seasonably warned any care- 



