land would be made to carry its own burden while 

 today the actual settler is spending valuable time 

 in fighting fires on these speculative lands for which 

 he is not paid. Also some of these lands have on them 

 serious fire menaces which if such a fund were avail- 

 able could be disposed of. 



All fines collected for violations of the forest laws 

 on prosecutions instituted upon complaint of town- 

 ship officers would in case such a fund were author- 

 ized be paid into the township ''Fire Fund" and 

 could be expended in the same manner as the origin- 

 al tax levy. Any unexpended balance in this fund 

 at the end of the year can be carried over and the 

 tax levy thereby reduced if such action is found 

 advisable. 



During dangerous periods of the year a part of 

 this "Fire Fund" should properly be expended in 

 hiring a township patrolman. This township patrol- 

 man could co-operate with the regular state forest 

 officers and without question this would diminish the 

 fire danger to a considerable extent. 



The greatest good can not be accomplished in pro- 

 tecting the lives and property of the settlers or in 

 saving our forest wealth until the state forest service 

 and the settler are working hand in hand. State 

 Forester Cox has done everything in his power to 

 show his desire to co-operate with the settler by ap- 

 pointing one of the officers of each organized town- 

 ship as Forest Fire Warden. The townships should 

 now meet him halfway by voting the "Five Mill 

 Tax" and assuming a small part of the burden of 

 enforcing the forest laws. 



5 



