1106 



Canadian Forestrij Journal, May, 1917 



+.- 



..,. 4. 



Appointing Rangers on Personal Merit 



The long overdue task of subduing 

 the patronage evil in appointments 

 to the Civil Service has been com- 

 menced in British Columbia. The 

 Forest Service is the first to benefit. 

 Following protests by the lumber- 

 men's organizations, Canadian For- 

 estry Association, Commission of 

 Conservation and others, against fur- 

 ther toleration of the patronage plan 

 in forest protection, the Brewster 

 Government inaugurated a scheme of 

 two examining boards, having juris- 

 diction over appointment of rangers 

 in the Coast and the Mountain sec- 

 tions. The original proposal was 

 that the lumbermen should control 

 these boards, but this was modified 

 to retain responsibility in the hands 

 of the Government who have three 

 members on each body of five. Al- 

 ready the plan has been set in motion 

 so as to apply to ranger appointments 



_ _ _ 1 



in the present fire season. Written 

 and oral examinations are required 

 and while the time allowed to the 

 British Columbia Forest Branch for 

 preparation was embarrassingly brief, 

 the intention of the Government is 

 being thoroughly carried out. Appli- 

 cants were notified of the examination 

 dates and in some instances more 

 than one hundred men appeared to 

 stand their ordeal. Sixty per cent, 

 was allowed for experience. Upon 

 the decisions of the examiners all 

 ranger appointments will be made 

 hereafter. As a substitute for the 

 vicious system of appointment by 

 stealth, known as the patronage plan, 

 the British Columbia arrangement is 

 a valuable step forward and may be 

 the means of leading other provinces 

 and the Federal Governments to try 

 the Civil Service idea on their field 

 appointments. 



Forest Survep Made With Camera 



Unusual methods were adopted in 

 making a survey recently of the Co- 

 lumbia National Forest in the state 

 of Washington, which comprises an 

 area of over 1,000 square miles, most- 

 ly rough, hilly, and heavily timbered 

 land, difficult and expensive to sur- 

 vey in the ordinary manner. W^ith 

 the aid of a photographic outfit, 

 however, a satisfactory survey was 

 made by one member of the Forest 

 Service, who covered 93 square miles 

 a month on an average during the 

 progress of the field work. This has 

 occupied several open seasons, the 

 winters being spent in working up 

 the field notes into accurate maps 

 showing the contours and all streams 

 in the forest. The surveyor was 

 accompanied by one assistant and 

 packer, and traveled on horseback, 

 with two pack animals. Observa- 

 tions and photographs were made 



from definite "stations" when the 

 weather permitted, about 15 such 

 stations being occupied each month. 

 Four exposures were usually made 

 with the camera at each station, each 

 plate developed taking in the view 

 within an angle of 65 degrees. Each 

 photograph was marked on its margin 

 with a horizon line by which eleva- 

 tions and depressions were sub- 

 sequently measured for map making, 

 and it was found that the contours 

 drawn by this method were surpris- 

 ingly correct, usually coming within 

 50 feet or so of actual elevations. 

 About 50 square miles were mapped 

 each month when field work was im- 

 possible the scale used being 1 in. to 

 the mile. The total cost for field and 

 office work was approximately $4.60 

 a square mile, which is regarded as 

 low, compared with the cost of ordin- 

 ary surveys. 



