548 



Canadian Forestry Journal, May, ipi6. 



Bovril develops big 

 reserves of strength 



When Sir Ernest Shackleton was selecting 

 extract of beef for his Antarctic expedition 

 he said : 



"IT MUST BE BO VRIL " 



(not of a miscroscopic order but of a 

 sufficiently large scale so that a man 

 in the field can readily recognize 

 the physical features) in the hands 

 of the fire rangers on the ground, all 

 these points can be located. Of 

 course, these things cannot all be 

 done in a year, or two, but take 

 time. Present measures in the field 

 are not systematic enough, but are 

 over-systematic in the office. In the 

 field, it is rather in the nature of 

 nibbling a little over the whole area. 

 It would be far better to take so 

 many square miles every year and 

 make detailed plans, reports, etc., 

 then whilst the next lot, or grouping 

 of square miles, was being surveyed, 

 and reported upon, the first group 

 of square miles could be having 

 trails, roads, fire lines, fire guards, 

 lookout stations, telephone lines, 

 water supply, shelter cabins, being 

 built, all with a view to the point 

 that any portion of the area would 

 be accessible to fire fighters. 



A Retaining Fee? 



Another thing I have found is that 

 men dislike fighting fire, that is, the 

 public, and it is very difficult to col- 

 lect men to do this work. How 

 would it be to have a scheme 

 whereby ranchers and farmers living 

 in the vicinity of forested areas be 

 paid a small retaining fee or sum of 

 money, with the understanding that 

 they are bound to turn out immedi- 

 ately when called upon. A ranger 

 could then alwavs be reasonablv as- 



sured of a semi-permanent force of 

 men at his call. I know the public 

 can be compelled under the law, and 

 even if they come willingly there is 

 always trouble afterwards about 

 pay, and it is a very difficult matter 

 to get them to come a second time. 

 If you attempt to enforce the law, 

 they merely laugh at you, and you 

 have not got the time to travel pos- 

 sibly some considerable distance to 

 put the machinery of law into ac- 

 tion, and probably, if you did so, and 

 got a conviction against offending 

 parties, he and his friends would in 

 the general terms "get you" after- 

 wards. Such action on your part 

 would queer your chances of getting 

 men in the future to fight fires. 



Something Tangible. 

 It is all very well putting up 

 notices and telling the public that 

 they are forest guardians, but they 

 require something tangible to make 

 them feel bound to come forward 

 when required. It might be worked 

 on the fuedal system in that, each 

 should bring any man he can spare, 

 or should collect any men he knew 

 of. For example, the ranger dis- 

 covers a fire, he notifies T., T. then 

 notifies A. B. C, and so on. Each 

 brings a retainer and so you have a 

 crowd collected in no time. T. A. B. 

 C. being paid a small retaining fee 

 per month during the fire season, 

 not a large sum, but just to make 

 them feel bound to lend a hand. It 

 might be considered too expensive, 



