14 FOREST LAWS OF AUSTRIA. 



Sec. 26. The transportation of wood by means of rafts and the building of booms require 

 special permission by the authorities of the district. If the use of private waters is required 

 proceedings must be hVd according to Section 24. 



Secs. 27 to 43. Refer to the regulation of rafting, marking of timber transported by rafts, 

 use of rivers and other waters, public and private, for rafting, &c. 



CHAPTER III. 



FOREST FIRES AND DAMAGES BY INSECTS. 



Sec. 44. The greatest care must be exercised in igniting fires or in using combustible ma- 

 terials in or near the forests. If damages arise in consequence of neglect to use such care 

 the offender must pay all damages, and may, according to circumstancess, be either prosecuted 

 under the general criminal code or fined from 5 to 40 florins, or imprisoned from one to eight 

 days. 



Sec. 45. Every person who finds a deserted and unextinguished fire in or on the edge of a 

 forest is required to extinguish it, if possible. If any person observes a forest fire he is held 

 to give notice to the next inhabitants in the direction of the road which he travels. These 

 parties so notified are required to give notice to the nearest local authorities and to the owner 

 of the forest or to his forest officials. 



. Sec. 46. All surrounding villages can be required by the owner of the forest, or his forest 

 officials, or by the local authorities, to extinguish the fire. The posse must at once repair to 

 the place of the fire with the necessary fire-extinguishing apparatus. The local authorities 

 and the forest officials must accompany the posse. 



Sec. 47. Unconditional obedience is to be paid to the superior officer conunanding the 

 posse. ' The other local officials must preserve order among the firemen and cause the execu- 

 tion of the orders. After the fire has been extinguished the place where it occurred is to 

 guarded from one to two days, or longer, if necessary, and the necessary number of men must 

 be furnished for this purpose. 



Sec. 48. Local officers who neglect to perform their duty will be fined firom 5 to 50 florins, 

 and all persons who refuse to obey their orders will be punished by a fine of from 5 to 15 

 florins, or by imprisonment from one to three days. 



Sec. 49. Damages to property of third parties, caused by extinguishing these fires, are to 

 be paid by the parties for whose benefit the posse was called, unless this third party was pro- 

 tected against still greater loss by the efforts of the posse. 



Sec. 50. The damages caused to forests by insects are to be closely watched. The own- 

 ers of forests and their employes are required, in case they cannot succeed in preventing the 

 spread of such damage to adjacent woods, or on their own grounds, to notify the political 

 authorities at once, or in default thereof to pay a fine of from 5 to 50 florins. Every person is 

 authorized to give such notice. 



Sec. 51. The political authorities, with the assistance of experts, must at once take the 

 proper measures to prevent this damage by insects. All owners of forests whose woods may 

 be in danger are bound to render assistance and to submit to the order of the authorities, who 

 are herewith authorized to enforce their orders. The expense shall be borne by the owners 

 of the forests in proportion to tlie dimensions of their respective tracts. 



IV. CHAPTER. 



FOREST PRERVATION SERVICE. 



Sec. 52. Provides for the organization of forest guards to be attached to the forest admin- 

 istration service. These guard's, whether employed by the state, by communities, or by private 

 individuals to take the oath of office. [ Form of oath general, with reference to performance 

 of duties in preserving forests as law requires.] 



