Canadian Forcslrij Journal, April, 1U17 



1069 



A penalty for carelessness with 

 matches, lighted tobacco, etc. was 

 included in the measure. 



One Dollar Reward 



Saskatchewan's Bill is in some 

 respects a more tightly woven piece 

 of legislation than Manitoba's. In 

 the former province, a most valuable 

 incentive is provided to ensure the 

 prompt reporting of forest and prairie 

 fires by the organized municipalities. 

 For every fire so reported, the Secre- 

 tary Treasurer gets one dollar. 

 Saskatchewan has been paying fifty 

 cents hitherto for building and other 

 fires reported by the municipal clerk 

 and the reward resulted in prompt and 

 thorough local service. The increased 

 pay will doubtless solve the question 

 of getting a fire reporting service from 

 officials not on salary. 



Mr. A. E. Ham, Fire Commissioner 

 of Manitoba, and his assistant Mr. 

 MiiUoy, and Mr. Arthur Fisher, who 

 has charge of the insurance and fire 

 W'Ork in Saskatchewan have ex- 

 hibited a most praiseworthy progres- 

 sive attitude in their relations to the 

 Act revisions. Much was left to the 

 judgment of these officers and their 

 prompt assumption of responsibility^ 

 for up-to-date legislation respecting 

 forest fire prevention has rendered 

 real service to their respective pro- 

 vinces. 



Tune up Municipalities 



Mr. Ham and Mr. Mulloy are now- 

 mapping out the Province and or- 

 ganizing their preventive plans. Mr. 

 Mulloy will have supervision of the 

 municipal fire guardians through 

 their councils, and assurance is given 

 that failure to deal with careless 

 settlers in wooded districts will bring 

 prompt action by the Fire Com- 

 missioner's office. 



In both provinces, the new^ laws 

 require settlers in forested areas to 

 take out written permits before set- 

 ting out fires. This is devised to 

 secure supervision and safety. In 

 organized municipalities, authority 

 rests with the municipal councils to 

 appoint fire guardians and such ap- 

 pointment is mandatory. In un- 

 organized districts, the Lieutenant 

 Governor in Council may appoint 

 special guardians, and it is under this 



clause that the rangers of the Domin- 

 ion Forestry Branch now on the 

 ground will be given provincial powers 

 over settlers. Lacking such authority 

 they have hitherto been helpless to 

 guard Dominion Crown lands against 

 a most serious menace.' 



Alberta has thus far taken no action 

 on the Association's suggestions for 

 provincial co-operation. One pro- 

 posal has been that the Dominion 

 Forestry Branch define "wooded dis- 

 tricts" in such general terms as 

 would make their rangers responsible 

 for prairie fires many miles from the 

 edge of timber. This method is ob- 

 viously unfair and cannot be the 

 final basis. Sentiment in Alberta is 

 heartily in support of better forest 

 protection and an Alberta Govern- 

 ment measure would be generally 

 welcomed. 



SPINACH FOR PAPER 



A French horticulturist, Mons. R. 

 de Noyer has discovered that Spinach 

 stems contain 46 per cent, of cellulose 

 and make a paper equal to the Japan- 

 ese product. 



A WOODPECKER DESTROYING INSECTS 

 Contrary to a common belief the woodpecker 

 is a most valuable conservator of tree life. 



