cording to a definite, consistent, and far-reaching plan, which 

 considers the need in fire prevention. So far there have been 

 constructed atout 17,160 miles of trail, 2,050 miles of road, 

 800 miles of fire lines, nearly 200 lookout stations, 15,000 miles 

 of telephones, 1,200 buildings for the location of rangers at 

 the right points, and many hundred tool caches. This is a 

 good start, but only a start. At least 65,000 miles of trails 

 remain to be built, and 40,000 miles of telephones, not to speak 

 of the roads and fire lines needed for full development of the 

 forests for protection. 



The work so far done is yielding enormous returns. The 

 past season in California has been a hard one because of the 

 frequency of electric storms. Local officers estimate that the 

 saving to the nation in property which would have been 

 burned, if the present improvements did not exist, amounts to 

 many million dollars. * 



I have shown the steps which the government is taking to 

 increase the effectiveness of its work and to prepare for the 

 severe conditions of the unusual dry year. The necessity fpr 

 the work is clear and there is only required the appropriation 

 to carry it out. The same need exists on private lands and 

 state lands. 



I need not dwell on the need of co-ordination of fire patrol 

 work among various owners. The menace of the unprotected 

 tract to the entire region is too well appreciated arnong prac- 

 tical men. But there is equally a need of co-ordinated im- 

 provement work to tie up the entire protective unit by means 

 of transportation and communication, no matter who owns the 

 land. 



Co-operation is the solution, but the co-operation must ex- 

 tend beyond mere friendly working together of owners. There 

 must be a definite system of organization under a competent 

 and authorized direction. There must be something more 

 than a provision for the work from year to year. There must 

 be a permanence of the system which will justify expendi- 

 tures in improvements as well as in patrol, and a system that 

 will not be affected by changing ownership of the land. Right 

 here is where the public must enter as a partner. Where 

 public lands occur the public is in a position of any other 



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