NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 13 



importance in the industrial life and industrial progress of this country than 

 the problem of how our Forests are to be preserved, and what means are to 

 be taken, in order to preserve them for generations to come, to be a source 

 of profit, not only to the country itself, but to those living within the 

 country. The man who holds Forest limits has naturally a desire to make 

 profit, and immediate profit, out of the licenses he holds. On the other hand,, 

 the Province has at stake the problem of guarding the Forest lands, so that 

 they may be a profit to those coming after, and at the same time to so 

 manage them as to make them give a fair return to those who have the 

 courage and industry and enterprise to invest their money in developing the 

 country, by taking licenses and cutting lumber on those lands. That, it 

 seems to me, is the great problem in connection with Forestry today how 

 to care for our forests, so as to give proper return to the men who are en- 

 gaged in the industry, and at the same time, to preserve those Forests, so 

 that they will be a benefit to future generations and a source of revenue to 

 the Province in years to come and practically forever. There can be no 

 doubt that the distribution of literature sent out by the Canadian Forestry 

 Association has called attention to many subjects in this regard. One, and 

 it seems to me, one of the greatest importance with which the State has to 

 deal, is that of passing proper laws for the protection of the country against 

 Forest fires, and seeing that those laws are properly enforced because a 

 Legislature may pass laws until Doomsday, but if they are not enforced, the 

 laws are of no avail, no matter how perfect they may appear on the statute 

 book of the country. We find that in other provinces action has been 

 taken in this regard. In some provinces there are Forest rangers, paid 

 partially by the State, partially by those who hold licenses from the 

 State, whose duty it is to patrol the Forests of the Province, having 

 signal stations on the mountains, commanding an extensive area of Forest 

 lands, and having telephone communication, so that the moment a fire 

 breaks out they can signal for help, and in a short space of time have a 

 large number of men on the scene, with shovels and axes and other instru- 

 ments to save the forests from destruction, thus saving thousands, yes, 

 millions of dollars to the people of the country. In reading an address 

 delivered at the Forestry Convention last year, I was struck by a statement 

 made, that in the Province of Quebec, a settler making a clearing for a crop 

 of five bushels of potatoes had started a fire that destroyed over three hun- 

 dred million feet of Pine Timber, that at the present time would be worth 

 $3 500 000 to the country. This shows in a striking manner the great 

 necessity that exists for guarding the public domain against fire, and 



