REPORTS of forest fires from the states with which the 

 federal government is co-operating show that there has 

 been a general lack of unusual fire danger this year. 

 This is not taken to mean that there have not been a great 

 many fires, but that an efficient fire-fighting force has been ade- 

 quate. Only two states, Massachusetts and Maine, have thus 

 far found it necessary, because of extra serious fire hazard, 

 to call upon the emergency provisions of their agreements 

 with the federal government. 



Maine Employed Extra Men. 



Maine has found it necessary to employ extra men over 

 and above the normal allowance provided in its agreement. 

 This any state may do under the terms of the agreement up 

 to a certain fixed maximum, on the initiative of the state 

 officer in charge of forest protection. He must, however, sat- 

 isfactorily establish the existence of unusual hazard before 

 the extra men will be paid. The forester at Washington has 

 the further right under a serious emergency to waive this 

 maximum provision, within the limits of the funds available, 

 and authorize the state to employ any number of additional 

 men that may seem necessary. 



Peculiar Emergency in Massachusetts. 



In Massachusetts this emergency has been of a somewhat 

 different sort. Normal conditions of fire hazard, upon which 

 are based all the agreements of the federal government with 

 the states, in Massachusetts call for a distinct dry spring and 

 fall fire season. Fire protection work may thus largely be 

 discontinued during the midsummer months. However, be- 

 cause of long drouths, there has been practically no let-up in 

 the fire danger to the present. A shortage of funds was im- 



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