38 THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY, 



allows, be appointed by the Commission. The Commissioner of the State 

 Land OfQce is at present a constitutional ofBcer. If the new constitiution 

 is adopted, it will be within the power of the legislature to abolish this 

 office and substitute therefor some other officer. Under the present con- 

 stitution, the duties of the Commissioner of the State Land Office may 

 be prescribed by the legislature. In either event, therefore, whether the 

 new constitution be adopted or rejected, it is within the power of the 

 legislature to bring the performance of the duties of this office under 

 the control of such a Commission as we recommend. We suggest that 

 the office business connected with the matters under the Commission's 

 jurisdiction be devolved upon the Commissioner of the State Land Office, 

 or such officer as may be substituted; and that the affairs of the State 

 involving police duties and work in the field, as distinct from office work, 

 be vested in a Forest Warden to take the place of the Game, Fish and 

 Forestry Warden and other officials. The Forest Warden should have 

 sole charge of the enforcement of trespass laws, g^me and fish laws, fire 

 laws, land and timber examinations, and other like work. This active 

 administrative officer in charge should be subject to the appointment 

 and control of the Commission. The employees of all these sub-depart- 

 ments should be employees of the Commission assigned to duty in a 

 particular sub-department ; their appointment, tenure of office and duties 

 being within the control ultimately of the Commission, but being pri- 

 marily prescribed by the active, practical heads of the sub-departments. 

 Their compensation, also, except as the law itself may expressly fix the 

 same, should be subject to the same final source of authority. 



The exclusion of politics from the Commission's work and appoint- 

 ments will, we belipve, be best accomplished by making the Commission 

 non-salaried and by securing the exclusion of politics from the manner 

 of the appointment of the members of the Commission. It should be so 

 arranged that it will not be possible to convert this Commission into a 

 political machine. The proposal submitted to the recent Constitutional 

 Convention for a Commission, to be known as the Public Domain Com- 

 mission, is recommended as the basis for legislation along the line of 

 these suggestions: 



APPROPRIATIONS MUST BE' COMMENSURATE WITH THE EXTENT OF THE PIEE 



SYSTEM N15CESSAEY. 



While the placing in a non-partisan commission of authority to choose 

 the active administration officer having charge of this machinery, and 

 responsible for its results, will tend to secure competent servants and 

 efficient service, nevertheless the law, however perfect, or however ably 

 its machinery is handled, cannot keep forest fires out of the millions 

 of acres that comprise the regions of cut-over lands, without money ap- 

 propriations, and these must be adequate to the task. Not less than 

 f 100,000 a year for the necessary service of fire warden^ exclusive of 

 salaries of wardens and deputies, should be provided for the present, 

 and until conditions have so improved as to lessen the need. This should 

 be appropriated to be used only when ftnd to the extent the forest 

 warden shall deem necessary. All responsibility must finallv settle on 

 him. 



This is at present the real forestry question in Michigan. Until the 



