1910] FOEEST, GAME AND FISH WARDEN. 41 



controlling a fire, than under any other circumstances, and if this part 

 of the work is to be made more effective, some of the provisions of this 

 statute should be strengthened. 



Our forests, if rightly taken care of and preserved, will be of untold 

 benefit to the future of our great State. The benefits to be derived] 

 from our forests, are varied and many; some of the most important, 

 being as follows: They constitute a home and breeding place for our 

 game, animals and birds, they regulate and protect ouir source of water 

 supply, and by holding the surplus water in check, insure its even and 

 regular flow. 



By protecting the water supply, fish life is sustained, pure water is 

 insured, the soil better irrigated and made more productive. Wood- 

 lands help to regulate tomperatare, and it is believed to have an appre- 

 ciable effect in increasing rain fall in different localities. They add 

 oxygen to the air, and help purify it, and for the health and enjoyment 

 of man, they form the most complete panacea of human ills, and the! 

 most perfect place for recreation known. 



Upon the forest protection, in the next few years, rests the success or 

 failure of the many auxiliary benefits that are mentioned above, and 

 every dollar wiisely spent in this work, will be as bread cast upon the 

 waters, and will be returned to us in after years. 



Some objection has been made, because the law makes it encumbent 

 on the county, in winch the fire occurs, to pay for the cost of extin-* 

 guishing same; claiming that this should be paid out of the general 

 fund. It can readily be seen that this would be unfair to the many 

 counties that do not have forest lands, as the protection of forests* 

 more directly benefits the counties in which the forest is protected,, 

 than all counties in generalin preserving the forest products and 

 maitaining values in this land, which are a subject of taxation. 



Much annoyance has been caused by County Courts refusing to allow 

 claims for extinguishing these fires, or fixing the per diem remunera- 

 tion so low, that it was very hard to get men to help fight these fires. 

 Wbule the County Court should have the right to audit all accounts 

 rendered them by deputies, for extinguishing these forest fires, and 

 certainly should not pay them unless fqund to be absolutely correct, 

 yet the service could be made more effective, if there was a fixed price 

 of $2.00 per day, for each day spent by persons summoned to help ex- 

 tinguish these fires. 



Game and Fish a Valuable Asset. 



The best illustration we have of making game and fish a valuable! 

 asset to the State, is demonstrated by the State of Maine. Fifteen years 

 ago, the game and fish industry of that state, was at a low ebb, but by 

 careful protecting, under a rigid law, it is the most gigantic industry 

 of the whole state, outranking in importance, the combined products 

 of her cotton, woolen and pulp mills. 



