Improvements 



Improvements, construxrted now are more 

 necessary for the efficient development of the Forest and 

 their work in conjunction viith fire plans, but in ranger 

 district management I "believe there is one thing a ranger 

 should study out thoroughly and that is 7/hat improvement 

 work should "bo done in his district. In making recommenda- 

 tions for permanent improvements, the prime issue is 

 protection" and the relation that the recommended improvement 

 bears to it. We all know that our improvement appro- 

 priations are small and we must overlook a few little things 

 and pay more attention to larger projects such as telephone 

 lines, pastures, barns and houses, but I believe telephone 

 lines are the most important and in recommending rights of 

 way for telephones several things should be considered. We 

 should consider how they will work in unison with out work 

 in a National Forest and oare should be taken not to 

 duplicate them by running parallel lines too close together. 

 Next in importance I believe is pastures. A man can pack 

 enough from the outside but he cannot live very well with- 

 out horse fo-^d. Piro lines in some localities should be 

 next considered. Barns I believe are next in Importance, 

 A man can get along with a tent but a horse must have 

 shelter. Then after these Improvements cone houses. After 

 we have the houses we may consider accessories to the 

 house which will add to the comforts of living. 



Heretofore, I regret to say, the feeling has been 

 that we have no thought of those whatever. Sometimes we 

 got money and did not know vrhat to do with it. Bridges 

 and Pastures were built where they were not needed as well 

 as other minor improvements. 



\VILSON: It seems to me that telephones are the 

 most important improvements that we have need for In our 

 district, although the cabins and barns in the upper end of 

 our district are more important than the pastures because up 

 in that country the foed is plentiful. There is always 

 plenty of feed end it gets cold so quick that a man must have 

 a house. In my district cabins and barns are Just as 

 important as pastures. 



3IGISLOW: Is it better to build first class pole 

 lines or tree lines. 



WILSOU: lly opinion would be for the A-l line. 

 Of course we urgently need telephone lines end Just as quick 

 as we can get them. The very best line in that country runs 

 up into the snow and is an A-l line. The cost of maintain- 

 ing this line is not 10 percent of the expense of maintaining 

 a tree line. A pole line is more expensive at the start but 

 less expensive in the long run. 



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