530 



Canadian Forestry Journal, May, 1916. 



a rule, the primary consideration, 

 with merit and fitness of the apph- 

 cant secondary. Undoubtedly, 

 manv thoroughly competent men 

 are appointed under the patronage 

 system, but the exceptions are too 

 numerous, and the tendency of such 

 a system of appointment is far froni 

 being conducive to proper ideals of 

 discipline and organization, and the 

 development of a wholly efficient 

 service. In this respect also, the St. 

 :\Iaurice and Lower Ottawa Asso- 

 ciations are able to set a good ex- 

 ample to the several governmental 

 agencies. These Associations, being 

 composed of limit-holders, are able 

 to select their fire-ranging staffs 

 upon the sole basis of merit, and 

 actually do so. On any other basis, 

 the really remarkable results secur- 

 ed would have been impossible to 

 the same degree and at the same 

 cost. 



Patronage Patrolmen. 



The general tendency of the pa- 

 tronage system was admirably ex- 

 pressed by Sir George Foster in con- 

 nection with the recent debate upon 

 the estimates of the Public ^^'orks 

 Department. His remarks are, how- 

 ever, ecjually applicable to the sev- 

 eral fire-protective services through- 

 out the Dominion. In the discus- 

 sion referred to. Sir George made the 

 statement that in the whole course 

 of his thirty-four years of public life, 

 he could not point to a single in- 

 stance where political pcitronage 

 ever helped the status of the bench, 

 ever helped the status of the Civil 

 Service, ever helped in the economy 

 of their administrations the status of 

 public administrators, no matter 

 what function they performed, never 

 helped a member of Parliament in 

 reality, and never helped a Govern- 

 ment in reality. 



In view of this strong statement 

 and of the very general chorus of 

 approval with which it met. it would 

 seem that material progress has been 

 made toward hastening the day 

 when appointments to at least cer- 



tain of the i)ublic services will be 

 based upon merit rather than upon 

 patronage. Certainly, such action 

 would constitute one of the most 

 effective means of reducing the tre- 

 mendous forest fire loss sustained 

 each year by this country. This ac- 

 tion will not. however, be generally 

 taken unless and until those. directly 

 and indirectly interested in securing 

 better forest protection make their 

 influence felt in a concrete way, in 

 favor of this proposition. Not only 

 are all lumbermen included in this 

 category, both individually and col- 

 lectively, but every citizen of every 

 province as well.' 



Any action that will tend toward 

 better forest conservation will be a 

 step toward better preparedness, for 

 peace as well as for war. 



(The foregoing article also ap- 

 pears in the current number of The 

 Canada Lumberman.) 



Tile Walls as Snow Fences 



Successful eperiments have been 

 made in Iowa in the use of hollow 

 tile for snow fences the results show- 

 ing that such barriers will hold back 

 about twice as much snow as the 

 board fences. This barrier is made 

 of six or seven layers of tile, the 

 open ends forming the two faces of 

 the wall, which is slightly serpen- 

 tine to permit expansion. ^^"ires 

 are used for reinforcement. The 

 tiles are molded in such a manner 

 that air spaces extend through them 

 at an angle of about 20°. The tiles 

 are so laid that all the air passages 

 lie in a plane parallel with the 

 earth's surface but those of adjoin- 

 ing layers lie at opposing angles. 

 ^^d^en the wind passes through this 

 fence, these diverging openings 

 form conflicting strata of air which 

 neutralizes each other's force so 

 that it is compraatively calm at the 

 leeward side of the shelter. This 

 accounts for the large amount of 

 snow that collects behind these 



