234 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



May 



ing for their appointment, and in no 

 case to be paid by the county clerk, 

 and shall hold office for the period 

 of one year from the date of their ap- 

 pointment, unless sooner removed. 

 The county judge shall have all the 

 powers and duties of the county court 

 during time said court is not in ses- 

 sion. And the county clerk shall 

 keep a record of all fire rangers qual- 

 ified within his jurisdiction. It shall 

 be his further duty to issue written or 

 printed permits, during the permit sea- 

 son, to any person wanting to set out 

 fires. Such permits to be issued from 

 June i, to August i ; and shall fix the 

 time of setting out of fire at a day 

 named ; and not more than ten days 

 from the date of the permit. The pro- 

 vision for setting fires at a certain 

 time of day was lost in the committee. 

 Upon the granting of a permit, the 

 clerk shall notify a fire ranger in the 

 vicinity of the proposed fire, who shall 

 watch the burning of said fire. The 

 fire ranger shall have complete power 

 and authority to arrest, without war- 

 rant, persons who violate the provi- 

 sions of the act. And from June I 

 to October I, of each year, it shall be 

 unlawful for any person to operate a 

 spark emitting locomotive, logging, 

 farm or stationary engine located in a 

 timber district, without a reasonably 

 safe spark arrester. The law also 

 provides fines, for the setting out 

 either negligently or maliciously of 

 forest fires, similar to the Washing- 

 ton law. 



The Oregon act attempts to ac- 

 complish, without expense to the state, 

 the work that is as much a duty of the 

 state, as is the duty of a municipality 

 to protect the private property therein 

 from destruction by fire. 



IDAHO. 



In Idaho a forest fire bill was in- 

 troduced, by Senator Page, almost 

 identical with the Washington Fire 

 Law of 1903. But this although pass- 

 ed in the Senate did not carry in the 

 House. And the result was a compro- 

 mise upon House Bill No. 131, which 

 united several acts relatings to pub- 



lic lands. The portion of this act re- 

 lating to forest protection, provides 

 that all camping parties, either for 

 business or pleasure, must take out 

 a permit to camp. And grants to 

 probate judges, justices of the peace, 

 game wardens and deputy wardens of 

 the State, the power of issuing these 

 permits upon the payment of fifty 

 cents as a fee. It further provides 

 for the printing and distributing by 

 the State Auditor, of books contain- 

 ing these licenses. The State Land 

 Commissioner, his assistants, land ap- 

 praisers and collectors, game wardens 

 and ex officio deputies and all police 

 officers of the State are charged with 

 the enforcement of the forest protec- 

 tion as relates to forest fires ; and shall 

 have power to arrest violators of the 

 provision of the act and deliver them 

 to a constable. 



Section 13, Provides that the right- 

 of-way of any railroad in the state 

 shall be kept clear of any inflamma- 

 tory material, and every locomotive 

 used in a forest area, shall be equipped 

 with a sufficient spark arrester. 



For the purpose of carrying out 

 the provisions of the act the State 

 Board of Land Commissioners are au- 

 thorized to employ, not exceeding six 

 persons, at any one time, at a sum 

 not exceedings $5 per day, and who 

 shall be empowered to arrest any vio- 

 lator of the provisions of the act. Pen- 

 alties are provided for the negligent 

 or malicious setting of fires and allow- 

 ing them to spread. Prosecuting at- 

 torneys are directed to prosecute in 

 the name of the State all cases aris- 

 ing under the act. 



So far as Washington is concerned 

 it is felt that the forest work is under 

 test and it is the desire of all connect- 

 ed with the service that good results 

 may be accomplished. 



There has just been inaugurated in 

 Seattle, a State Forestry Association, 

 which intends to take up the scienti- 

 fic part of the work and hopes to pro- 

 vide for the publcation of the results 

 gathered by the Forest Commission 

 and the fire service. 





