130 AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 
The linking up of lookouts, ranger stations, supervisor’s headquarters, 
and district forestry offices by telephone communication is looked upon as an 
essential for effective fire protection and economical administration. Where 
possible, commercial lines are utilised, and commercial companies and settlers 
are encouraged to build lines on or near the forests. The Act of 4th March, 
1913, permits the free use of timber for the construction of such lines as are 
necessary for fire protection purposes. 
_ The Forest Service, however, maintains a telephone department of its 
own, which undertakes the bulk of the telephone installation and maintenance 
work upon the National Forests. It is a department which is assuming large 
dimensions, controlling, even at this early stage of its existence, some 
thousands of miles of line. 
Tt, too, has produced a manual of its own, aiming at standardisation and 
uniform efficiency in the whole work of planning, building, and maintaining 
the entire telephone system upon the Forest Service holdings. 
Tree line construction generally is adopted on account of its simplicity and 
low cost. The Forest Service standard is a grounded No. 9 wire. The lines 
are built along the course of trails. The average cost is about £8 per mile. 
A wonderful little portable telephone eminently useful in Forest Service 
work has been evolved recently by R. B. Adams, in charge of the telephone 
section in District No. 1. 
_ Miners, settlers, logging foremen, and other persons needed in the fire 
plan, may be appointed “ per diem” patrolmen, and allowed telephone service 
free under co-operative agreements. 
The whole improvement work upon the National Forests of the United 
States of America is carried out by the Forest Service itself by day labour. 
The success achieved is due to the fact that the complete organisation 
and thorough system which have been built up have afforded the necessary 
framework upon which to hang all details. By no other means could it be 
obtained. 
The work is carried out by the branch of operations, which includes the 
offices of geography and quarters, trail and telephone construction, all of 
which it is proposed to incorporate into a new and single branch of forest 
engineering. 
These offices design the work to be undertaken and draw up plans and 
specifications. The actual construction and maintenance are carried out by 
the forest personnel, the district ranger (our proposed resident forester or 
forest overseer) being placed in direct charge of improvement crews. 
Every. managing officer is given practically a free executive hand. His 
limitations are those only of policy and funds. 
Improvement allotments to forests are made by the district forester in 
conformity with the improvement plan as to constitution and on the basis of 
the supervisor’s annual estimates as to maintenance. 
A classified cost record is kept in every case, as it serves as a measure of 
efficiency and as a guide in future work. 
