1909-10 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FOEESTS AND MINES. xiii 



and nse better appliances than they have done in the past. We had about 200 

 fire rangers on duty along the various railway lines during the past summer. A 

 proportion of the cost of these rangers was borne by the railways and a proportion 

 by the Department. 



The whole fire ranging staff on duty last summer on licensed lands, forest 

 reserves, railways and Crown territory aggregated nearly one thousand men. It is 

 a difficult matter, at the season of the year when fire rangers are most required, 

 to obtain a number of well skilled bush men, who are educated and otherwise well- 

 equipped for this work. In the early part of the summer, such men are still em- 

 ployed by the lumber companies in driving the streams, and again in the months of 

 August and September, lumbering operations are beginning for the ensuing winter, 

 and such men are looking for a winter's employment and will not stay on fire 

 ranging when they can get better wages, and be sure of several months steady work. 

 The Department has had to select a portion of its staff from other sources, and 

 it has drawn upon the body of students at the School of Practical Science, at the 

 University, and elsewhere for some of its fire rangers. These students are active 

 men with some scientific training and give fairly good service, as soon as they get 

 a little experience. If the Department could get thoroughly educated bush men 

 with the necessary education and judgment, it would employ them to the exclusion 

 of all others, but not being able to do that, it makes the next best selection possible. 

 The men selected are put under competent chiefs, who fully instruct them in 

 rtheir work and see that they perform it. The greatest care is exercised in picking 

 out the men best qualified for the position from those who apply. Higher attain- 

 ments are being required each year, and stricter conditions enforced. 



Cullers' Examinations. 



Cullers' Examinations were held at North Bay, Kenora, Fort Frances and 

 Port Arthur. Thirty candidates were successful at these examinations and were 

 granted certificates, authorizing them to act as cullers. 



(For list of cullers, see Appendix No. 37, page 104). 



Crown Surveys. 



The following Crown Surveys have been undertaken this year: — 



Instructions for sub-division of four townships were issued, namely: — 



District of Sudbury, township of Machin, and part of the township of Alex- 

 andra, District of Nipissing, residue of the townships of Maisonville and Benoit. 



Instructions were also issued to survey the islands in the Georgian Bay, in 

 front of the townships of Harrison, Shawanaga, Conger, Wallbridge, McDougail, 

 Carling, etc. 



Instructions also issued for a number of base and meridian lines and t^ownship 

 outlines in the districts of Algoma, Nipissing, Sudbury, Kenora, Mississaga Forest 

 Reserve and Temagami Forest Reserve. 



The base and meridian lines were in the district of Algoma and there were 163 

 miles run. 



Survey of outlines of townships in the districts of Sudbury, Nipissing, Kenora, 

 Mississaga Forest Reserve and Temagami Forest Reserve, 1,119 miles run. 



A number of timber berths in the districts of Kenora and Thunder Bay have 

 also been surveyed during the year. 



The survey of the town plots at Superior Junction and Redditt, district of 

 Kenora, and town plot at Missanabie, district of Algoma, have also been completed. 



