FORESTRY COMMISSIONER. 5 



little girl returning from school was so badly burned that 

 she died in twenty-four hours; her father who ran to 

 save her had his hands very badly burned. 



Most fires are caused by clearing land and burning 

 meadows. If a settler uses proper care a fire will not get 

 beyond his control. The most ordinary person ought to 

 know better than to set fire in dry and windy weather. 

 It is a person of but little conscience who at any time will 

 set fire and let it run wild. 



The law makes town supervisors of whom there are 

 three in each town fire wardens and requires them to 

 take precautions to prevent forest and prairie fires. These 

 men are the tribunes and high officials of their towns, 

 elected by their fellow citizens to conduct the public busi- 

 ness of their towns. In old New England they are called 

 the ''select" men. For the time being they are looked 

 up to as men in authority; and as they travel through 

 their towns attending to the town business they can easi- 

 ly, and it is their duty to, caution people who are liable 

 to be careless in their work of clearing land, burning mead- 

 ows and the like. The law is wise in constituting these 

 officers fire wardens and they ought to feel that they are 

 responsible, and that public opinion holds them respon- 

 sible, in a very high degree for having their towns free 

 from damaging fires. Fresh instructions with blanks and 

 return stamped envelopes are sent to these officers and 

 to fire wardens in unorganized territory every spring from 

 this office. 



Considering the great activity in our forest regions in 

 the development of the country in so many ways, I think 

 we have been very fortunate in the comparatively small 

 number of damaging fires that have occured. Increased 

 care each year appears to be exercised. 



Good main roads would be great preventives against 

 the spread of dangerous fires. 



