UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

 FOREST SERVICE. 



THE NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL. 



AMENDMENT NO. 174, INSTRUCTIONS. 



JUNE 24, 1913. 



General Administration and Protection Improvement, 

 Communication. Under the marginal heading " Telephones," at 

 the bottom of page 77, the following paragraphs are hereby added: 



Commercial companies and settlers should be encouraged to build 

 lines on and near the Forests. The act of March 4, 1913, permits 

 the free use of timber for the construction of telephone lines necessary 

 for the protection of the National Forests from fire. Therefore in 

 the cooperation with telephone companies and individuals it is proper 

 for forest officers to issue free-use permits for poles to be used in the 

 construction and maintenance of telephone lines in and near the 

 National Forests whenever such lines will aid materially in fire pro- 

 tection. The general cooperative agreements with large commercial 

 companies will follow the form which has been approved by the 

 Secretary of Agriculture. Supervisors may, however, continue issuing 

 special-use permits for private or independent lines. 



Miners, settlers, logging foremen, and other persons needed in the 

 fire plan of a Forest may be appointed per diem patrolmen and allowed 

 telephone service free, and as far as practicable, without overloading 

 the line, other persons in the National Forests may be allowed tele- 

 phone service under a schedule of charges to be approved by the 

 district forester. 



The general cooperative agreements will be prepared by the dis- 

 trict forester with two copies for execution and a sufficient number of 

 copies to provide one for the Forester's files and one for each of the 

 supervisors interested. The district forester after obtaining the 

 execution of the agreement in duplicate by the company will forward 

 the two executed copies and one additional copy to the Forester, 

 who, if the agreement meets with his approval, will present it to the 

 Secretary of Agriculture for execution. The executed copies will be 

 returned to the district forester who will send one to the company 

 and retain the other for his files. The supervisors' copies will be 

 completed and sent them after the executed copies are received by 

 the district forester. 



Cooperation involving joint ownership, construction, or mainte- 

 nance introduces a division of responsibility which may affect com- 

 munication and maintenance, as well as future growth and extensions, 

 and therefore will not be entered into except in unusual instances, 

 and then only with the specific approval of the district forester. 



A. F. POTTER, 



Associate Forester. 



772 13 



o 



