after them. Many of the superintendents are doing every- 

 thing that they can think of to make their systems effective. 



Is it not possible that this is another case of "what is every- 

 body's business is nobody's business?" for in spite of all of 

 these instructions emphatically stated there are instances of 

 both section crews and conductors heedlessly neglecting fires 

 which have later cost the company thousands of dollars in dam- 

 ages. "Usually a few men who devote their whole time and at- 

 tention to some one line of work accomplish much more than 

 many times their number who are supposed to do that work as 

 incidental to their regular business. And would not such a 

 body of specialists be cheaper? What other branch of the 

 railroad is there where anywhere near so much money is in- 

 volved and yet no one whose sole business it is to look after it? 



This phase of the problem brought out the only resolution 

 of the meeting. It was resolved as the sense of the meeting 

 that an organization composed of repersentatives of all the 

 railroads interested to discuss and push the fire preventive 

 measures was advisable. Such an organization can do much 

 to ferret out the most efficient methods. 



In addition to this discussion of the duties of the railroads 

 several points were brought forward on the other side of 

 the question, the necessity of protecting the railroads from 

 the settler and others. Everyone agreed that many unjust 

 claims are put in for fires which the railroad did not start. 

 The evils of this practice are further increased by the diffi- 

 culty which the railroads have in defending themselves be- 

 fore a jury of settlers no matter how unjust the claim. Fur- 

 ther the owners of the abutting property pile debris along 

 the right of way for the express purpose of having it burned 

 up and recovering damages. Another source of loss to the 

 railroads is the camper or hunter who usually comes out 

 from the city wholly ignorant of the danger from forest fires. 

 He leaves a camp-fire burning which spreads so as to en- 

 danger railroad property and brings upon them the blame 

 for starting the fire. 



It was pretty clearly shown that it was the duty of the 

 forest service to take care of these things and clear the rail- 

 road of the blame. This can best be done by the education 



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