CANADIAN DEPARTMENT 827 



timber in British Columbia, which is the necessary measures shall be taken 

 supposed to be approximately one-half for the prevention and control of railway 

 the amount of merchantable standing fires. Practically all the railways have 

 timber in Canada. This is only one- shown great improvement in fire pro- 

 fourth to one-fifth as much as the tection work. The Canadian Pacific 

 estimated forest resources of the United and Canadian Northern Railways have 

 States. In addition to the amount of organized especially for the handling 

 saw timber, there is a vast quantity of of fire protection work, as a partial 

 pulp wood of which no reliable estimates result of the Board's requirements, 

 have been made. Fires have uselessly 



destroyed many times the amount of Mr . R . H . Campbell, Director of the 



timber now left standing in Canada. Dominion Forestry Branch, returned in 



The Fire Protection Work of the September from * his European trip 



Dominion Railway Commission has During the visit he attended the 



now been organized for nearly three fiftieth annual meeting of the Royal 



years, and has shown excellent results. Scottish Arboricultural Society and 



From being the greatest single source was made an honorary member of the 



of fire damage, the railways now give Society. An extensive tour was intended 



promise of dropping well down in the but the war su ddenly prevented it 



list of minor agencies They have also whi i e Mr. Campbell was in Geneva 



accomplished a great deal in the way Here he was detained for a week before 



of reporting and extinguishing fires not securing transportation out of Switzer- 



due to railway causes. The Board's [ and through Paris to England. 



order gives the Chief Fire Inspector 



very wide discretionary authority in 



determining what specific measures are rhe . field reconnaissance work of the 

 necessary for the proper prevention and Dominion Forestry Branch progressed 

 control of fires along railway lines. This considerably during the past season, 

 is particularly the case with regard to Wlth eleven parties m the field, the 

 special fire patrols in forest sections and d i vlslon of agricultural and forest lands 

 the construction of fire guards in the throu g n the West was extended con- 

 prairies. The Order also requires the siderably. The surveys this year were 

 use of efficient fire protective appliances distributed throughout Eastern Mani- 

 on locomotives, prohibits the use of toba > Northern Saskatchewan and Al- 

 lignite coal, requires the issuance of berta ' Eastern Slope of the Rocky 

 instructions covering the reporting and Mountains and Railway Belt of British 

 extinguishing of fires by railway employ- Columbia. As a result, a continuous 

 ees, and gives the Fire Inspection De- belt on the northern boundary of the 

 partment power to regulate the burning P raine s through Manitoba, Saskatche- 

 of inflammable debris along the right of wa ? and Alberta about 100 miles wide 

 way. The Railway Act requires railway a ]? d llnkm g .up with the timber slopes 

 companies to maintain their rights of f the Rockie s has been reported on to 

 way free from dead or dry grass, weeds date - Nort h of this belt lies an exten- 

 and other unnecessary combustible ^ive area which is mostly forest land, 

 matter. In carrying out the above re- but contains some good agricultural 

 quirements, the Fire Inspection Depart- a j ea |- Explorations have shown that 

 ment of the Board cooperates closely t j ie forest nort h of the prairies may be 

 with the fire protective organizations c . lassed a s two types, muskeg and 

 of the Dominion and provincial gov- nd ^ e ' the latter of which is character- 

 ernments. Under the plan of coopera- ^ d b y J ack P me ' s Pce, and poplar, 

 tion now in effect, more than seventy here are some areas of g od a gri- 

 officials of these fire protective organiza- cultural land m this region which are 

 tions have been appointed officers of mostl y covered with small poplar, 

 the Fire Inspection Department of the 



Board, for the purpose of maintaining The expense of the fire season in 1914 



a constant supervision over the work of has been the heaviest in the history 



the railway companies, to insure that of the Forestry Branch. Owing to 



