CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 51 



worst curses that has ever come to the Province. There is absolutely no efficient 

 fire protection along the line as laid out. The Italians and other workers employed 

 in the construction camps have not the slightest, regard for the fire rangers, nor 

 for the forests. There is only one way of preventing loss through their carelessness. 

 The Dominion Government should put a regular police patrol along the right of 

 way just as soon as thesnow has gone. To do the most effective work, these should 

 be mounted, uniformed officers. A few mounted rangers would be able to do more 

 to protect the country along the Upper St. Maurice, than any number of ordinary 

 fire rangers. And they should be uniformed, preferably in a semi-military style, 

 in order to impress the men. And they should also be given power to arrest 

 delinquents and have their work thoroughly backed up by the magistrates. This 

 latter is a most important point, because it has always been a most difficult thing 

 in this Province to secure convictions. (Applause). 



Mr. ROBERT MEIGHEN. The last speaker has dwelt at some length upon 

 the greatest enemies which the lumbermen have to contend with, but I think he 

 has left one out. A man called in my office a few weeks ago, who is largely inter- 

 ested in the forests of Norway. He had travelled all over the Dominion of Canada, 

 and he told me that he was proud of the Canadians as a rule, and considered that 

 they were very intelligent people. But he told me that it was very easy to see that 

 they were quite ignorant on the point of preserving one of the greatest assets that 

 they possessed their timber lands. This Dominion has been handed to us 

 bright and fresh from the hands of its Maker, a country richly blessed by God. Let 

 us not by the action of man curse it. We all know that the greatest enemy of the 

 forests to-day is fire. As the servants of the people I would ask if the Federal or 

 Local Governments have risen to the occasion, and adopted legislation along proper 

 lines to preserve the forests not only for this generation but for those yet unborn. 

 I say they have not. 



The last speaker truly brought up a very important point. The Grand Trunk 

 Pacific is passing through the Provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, and it 

 will pass through timber lands which I represent for over 100 miles. What assur- 

 ance have we that our lands will not be depleted and the forests destroyed by the 

 building of that road? We have none. The forest fires caused by the contractors 

 and labourers along the line will almost inevitably destroy our property. Ttiie 

 Government of New Brunswick has taken wide action against the surveyors, but 

 it has done nothing against the contractors. These people, I say again, are our 

 servants, because Parliament is the servant of the people, elected to look after the 

 people's interest, and it is time that they rose to the occasion and passed proper 

 legislation for the protection of our property. We are all looking to the protection 

 of the interests of the people of Canada and there are few things more in their inter- 

 est than that these great forests should be preserved for all time. I hope I am 

 not committing such high treason as talking politics, but if I were to touch upon 

 either political party, I should not be overcome. Our Crown Lands are being 



