k 



Canadian Forestry Journal^ Fehruar,y, ipi6. 383 



any interest in the fire protection have done in helping along this 



work. It would pay the railways movement, showing thereby their 



and be far more efficient to have board-mindedness and their sense of 



special fire patrolmen under a sep- responsibility for this great provin- 



arate department head. The reduc- cial asset placed in their care. In 



tion of damage claims would pay for every way they have helped, often at 



the expense many times over. Just political inconvenience to themsel- 



as volunteer fire-fighting is out of ves from members of Parliament 



■date, so is amateur forest fire protec- trying to save their constituents 



tion. A maintenance-of-way depart- from punishment for infraction of 



ment grudges every cent spent on the fire laws and others who did not 



fire protection and this attitude fil- want to spend any money in protect- 



ters down to the section men. ing their limits. Mr. Allard is now 



Waiting for Rain. ^t ^^.^^^^ «" amendments to the Pro- 



. ,, , ; . . vmcial fire laws which will bring 



All your work for conservation of ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ 



our timber resources is wasted if we ^^^-^^ ^^ enforcement and do away 



cannot conquer the fires.^ When I ^^-^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ 



first went into the woods in Quebec, ^j^^ woodsman living so in the 



I was told one day that there were .^jiderness has naturallv become 



fires all along a river. Why don t j ^nt of the law and contemptu- 



you put them out or prevent them, ^^^ ^f -^ ^^^ ^^-^ condition is rapid- 



I asked. Oh, you can t help having j^, changing for the better, 

 fires, It IS impossible to put them 



out. We'll get rain pretty soon." The Government Loses. 

 But this attitude has changed and Of the 70,000 square miles of tim- 

 the outlook is very hopeful. The ber limits under license in Quebec 

 first real attempt at fire protection about 10,000 square miles are burnt 

 was made in 1908 and now after and have not yet commenced to re- 

 light years we have 38.5% of the produce themselves. At an average 

 licensed area of the Province under of 2,500 board feet per acre, this 

 efficient co-operative protection, and means a loss to the government of 

 this protection is becoming more $15,000,000 in stumpage dues and 

 and more efficient each year. Co- for the 8,500 square miles reproduc- 

 operative fire protection is not only ing, but which will not be ready to 

 more efficient, but it is much cheap- cut for 50 years, a large loss of 

 er than individual protection. It is revenue due to the interest for this 

 costing the larger members of the long period. When licensees awake 

 association only two-thirds of what to the fact that they are paying the 

 it cost them to protect their own Government $5.00 per square mile 

 limits and has wiped out the menace per annum for lands from which 

 of the small limit-holder who never they cannot get a cut, or at least not 

 used to protect his territory. If a for fifty years, and release these 

 man owns fifty square miles, it limits to the Government, the loss of 

 would require two men for six revenue will amount to $90,000 a 

 months with their outfit of canoe year. 



and tent and provisions at a mini- The agitation for better fire pro- 

 mum of $500, to patrol it, or 1.6 tection has also resulted in closer 

 cents per acre, and he gets much utilization. Burnt timber never used 

 more efficient service for ^ of a to be cut but now the larger com- 

 cent per acre. panics cut all the trees on burnt- 

 The Quebec Department of Lands over land and the Government en- 

 and Forests, under Hon. Mr. Allard, courages this by a reduction in the 

 Mr. Dechene and Mr. Hall, deserve stumpage dues, thus saving a great 

 the highest praise for the work they waste. 



