Canadian Conservation Commission. 



99 



pelled, at their own expense, to adopt 

 precautionary measures. Mr. Ryan 

 outlined the scheme of patrol along the 

 lines of the railway in New Brunswick, 

 where it was carried out entirely at the 

 Commission's expense; in Quebec, where 

 the provincial government, the limit- 

 holders and the railway each bore one- 

 third of the expense, and in Ontario, 

 where the provincial government had 

 undertaken all the work and had billed 

 the commission for the expense, which 

 the commission did not acknowledge 

 their liability for. On the w^hole eastern 

 section, from Winnipeg to Moncton, the 



patrol had l)een successful, and any 

 fires originating on the right of way had 

 been put out by their own men. Reports 

 of extensive destruction of the forest by 

 fires originating along the line of the 

 N. T. Ry's line of surveys east of Lake 

 Nipigon last summer had not been con- 

 firmed by their engineer. Mr. Ryan 

 read the regulation regarding the clear- 

 ing of debris from the right of way by 

 the contractors and explained what in- 

 formation was contained in the reports 

 of the commission's engineers regarding 

 the forests and waterpowers along the 

 route. 



Canadian Conservation Commission. 



Falling into line with the movement 

 for conservation of natural resources, 

 the Parliament of Canada at its last 

 session, made provision for the appoint- 

 ment of a "Commission on Conserva- 

 tion," the bill being finally approved by 

 the Governor-General on May 19th last. 



The duties of the Commission are de- 

 fined by the act to be "to take into con- 

 sideration all questions which inay be 

 brought to its notice relating to the 

 conservation and better utilization of 

 the natural resources of Canada, to 

 make such inventories, collect and dis- 

 seminate such information, condu'ct 

 such investigations, inside and outside 

 of Canada, and frame such recommen- 

 dations as seem conducive to the ac- 

 complishment of that end." 



The Ministers of Agriculture, of Mines 

 and of the Interior are to be, ex-officio, 

 members of the commission, as are also 

 the members of each provincial govern- 



ment who are "charged with the ad- 

 ministration of the natural resources of 

 the province." 



Besides the ex-officio members there 

 are to be twenty members appointed by 

 the Governor-General-in-Council,to hold 

 office during pleasure. Of these at 

 least one member appointed from each 

 province must be a member of the 

 faculty of a university within that 

 province. 



The Commission is to meet annually 

 on the third Tuesday in January in 

 Ottawa or such other "place as has been 

 decided on by the Commission. The 

 members are to be allowed their ex- 

 penses, but will receive no salary for 

 their services. 



The chairman may be appointed by 

 the Governor-General-in-Council. 



Provision is made for the appointment 

 of a secretary and other officers and 

 clerks. 



Survey of Nova Scotia Forests. 



The Province of Nova Scotia, which 

 two years ago under the influence of the 

 Western Nova Scotia Lumbermen's 

 Association organized an efficient fire 

 patrol service, will this year, stimulated 

 by the same agency, and especially by 

 its active president, Mr. F. C. Whitman, 

 undertake a forest survey of the prov- 

 ince, such forest survey to form the 

 basis of further development of a forest 

 policy. 



Dr. F&rnow has been invited to 

 organize this reconnaissance or stock- 

 taking, which will probably require two 

 seasons. The survey is to be made 

 thorough, so as to bring out precise 

 information as to the extent, character 

 and condition of the forest area of the 

 province. The total forest area, it is 

 believed, comprises about six million 

 acres, about 50 per cent, of the total 

 land area. The Government, having 



