NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 183 



should be forced to take this brush out and burn it or put it in piles in a 

 place free from danger where they can burn it in a suitable season, and I 

 'think that you will agree with me, that this is a matter that should be at- 

 tended to in the very near future. 



Now the Surveyor-General has asked me to give you an idea of the 

 system which I have inaugurated throughout the district over which I have 

 control. And perhaps it may be of some benefit and I feel, although this 

 system has not been at all perfected to any great extent, it has worked out 

 to considerable benefit, as in the past few years throughout a very large por- 

 tion of this province I can say with the assistance of a number of men who 

 have met me half way in all matters pertaining to the protection of the 

 forests that I have had no fires that have not been under control within 

 twenty-four hours, with one or two exceptions. And even in these excep- 

 tions we were able to get control cf within three days. 



Now to give you an idea of the system of which I speak I might call 

 \your attention to section 12 of the Forest Fire Act, which reads as follows : 



"Whenever any forest, woodlands or barren shall be on fire it shall be 

 the duty of the supervisor of roads, commissioner of highways, county coun- 

 cillors and constables near where such fire is and each and everyone of them 

 on such fire coming to their notice to order so many of the men living or 

 residing in the neighbourhood of the place where such fire shall be as they 

 *hall severally deem necessary to proceed to the site of such fire and their 

 aid in stopping the progress of the same, and any of the above named per- 

 sons refusing or neglecting to give such order and any person so ordered re- 

 'fusing to obey the same shall be liable to a penalty of not less than Five 

 Dollars nor more than Twenty Dollars." 



Now I may say that in the first place I was enabled through the courtesy 

 of the Deputy Surveyor General to have some forms of notice printed em- 

 bodying this section of the Act relating to forest fires and these notices were 

 forwarded to the different road masters, constables and county councillors 

 through my district. During the winter visiting the different lumber camps 

 I have continually made it a practice to post the men in the law relating to 

 fires, and have instructed them as fully as I could in what action to take. 

 For instance I took it upon myself to inform these men that in case of any 

 tfire starting in the vicinity in which they lived and should they think that 

 *hey should not have sufficient help to at once get control of the fire that 



