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annual evil is checked, it would be folly to invest much money or 

 Labor in timber lands. That it can be checked has already been 

 proved by the States of Minnesota and Pennsylvania Both of 

 these States have been heavy sufferers in the past from forest fires, 

 but the people at length awoke to the need of doing something 

 drastic. Rigid laws were enacted, providing severe penalties for 

 setting fires or for allowing brush fires to escape, and providing 

 ollicers who are required under penalty to enforce them. These 

 laws have been enforced, and with marked success. Pennsylvania, 

 for instance, suffered an average annual loss for years of over 

 $1,000,000. Since the passage of their fire law the average has 

 dropped to a few thousand. Massachusetts has laws enough on 

 this subject, but they are not enforced. The woodland of the 

 State is valued at nearly one-third as much as all the farm build- 

 ings in the Commonwealth, and yet only a few towns think it wise 

 to enforce the laws which are intended to protect all this property 

 from needless losses. 



The best fire law on the Massachusetts statute books is chapter 

 254 of the Acts of 1897 ; but before it can become operative in 

 any town, it must be formally accepted by the voters at a town 

 meeting. This law was passed at the urgent request of some of 

 the Cape Cod towns which had been severe sufferers from fires. 

 Those towns adopted the law at once, enforced compliance with its 

 provisions, and the benefits have been marked. That this law is 

 not more widely accepted must be due to one of two reasons, — 

 either the people do not generally know of its existence, or they 

 are unwilling to tax themselves for the support of this useful piece 

 of machinery. 



If any one doubts the need of seriously grappling with this fire 

 problem, let him but consider the losses which the State sustains 

 yearly from this cause. Our average loss is conservatively esti- 

 mated at from $100,000 to $150,000. In 1895 nearly $50,000 

 worth of buildings were destroyed in the path of woodland fires. 

 In 1899 returns were secured on 136 fires in 45 cities and towns, 

 and these it was found burned over an area of 6,960 acres. There 

 were known to have been many other fires throughout the State 

 during that year, but reliable returns could not be secured regard- 

 ing them. The immediate loss from the 136 fires on standing and 

 corded wood amounted to $58,173, and on buildings which stood 

 in the path of fires to $23,530 ; this makes a total loss of $81,703. 

 This does not include the cost of labor employed in fighting the 

 fires, which amounted to not less than $5,000. 



These present losses do not, however, begin to cover the actual 

 damages. Testimony secured from owners of timber and wood- 



