278 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



protected, the number of your license for current season, tlie number of men 

 you would recommend to be employed, and submit a list of those you would 

 recommend for appointment on your limits. 



THOS. H. JOHNSTON, 



Assistant Commissioner. 

 Department of Crown Lands, 



(Woods and Forests Branch,) April, 1885. 



. Results of Fire Ranging. 



The results of this action were highly satisfactory to all concerned, as 

 appears from the annual report of the Commissioner of Crown Lands for 

 1885, which contains the following with regard to the first season's experi- 

 ence of the fire ranging system. 



"Under instructions from the Department thirty-seven men were placed 

 in the field and kept on duty between the 1st day of May and the 1st day of 

 October, 



"The effect of their presence has been excellent. Fires were suppressed 

 which otherwise might have become vast conflagrations, causing incalcul- 

 able losses. Persons wantonly violating the provisions of the 'Fire Act' 

 were promptly brought to justice and fined, and a general and strong inter- 

 est in the direction of preventing the starting and spread of bush fires was 

 created and kept alive. 



"At the close of the season the licensees expressed their great satisfac- 

 tion at the benefits resulting from the experiment, and urged its continuance 

 and extension. 



"The total cost of the service for 1885 was $7,911, of which sum one- 

 half has been refunded bv the licensees, leaving the net cost of this service 

 to the Department to be |3,955,50." 



The system once adopted was speedily extended. In 1886, 45 men were 

 employed as rangers, in 1887 the number was increased to 55, in addition 

 to about 100 who were called on to give temporary assistance in fighting 

 fire. The season was an exceptionally dry and dangerous one, so that the 

 efficiency of the system in checking the spread of fires, which would other- 

 wise have covered a much wider extent of territory, was thoroughly tested. 

 The report of the Commissioner of Crown Lands for that year thus refers 

 to the working of the system : — 



"There is no doubt that the presence of the Rangers, and the prompt 

 and active measures taken by them, materially prevented, and substantially 

 reduced the losses — ^not only so but the Licensees were supplied with reliable 

 information as to the quantity of timber damaged, its situation, and the 

 force necessary to handle it this season before the grubs had time to seriously 

 damage it, by which an enormous sum was saved to the Province and the 

 Licensees." 



Cost of the Service. 



The number of fire rangers employed and the cost of service has con- 

 tinued steadily on the increase as a larger proportion of the limit-holders have 

 realized the benefits of the system and availed themselves of its operation. 

 In 1891 the number of rangers on duty had increased to 98 and the total 

 cost of the service to |20,053. In 1896 sixty license-holders took advantage 

 of the system, employing 160 rangers, the total expenditure being |31,396 

 which included |1,969 for fire-ranging on Crown Lands not under license, 



