55 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



supervision of the bills rendered by the various towns against the State in reim- 

 bursement for half of the expenses paid by them for the extinction of forest fires, as 

 now provided by law. By careful attention to the latter requirement, a competent 

 official would save to the State a sum more than double his salary. Furthermore, in 

 fulfillment of the requirements of the law, he should see that whenever a vacancy 

 occurs in the list of firewardens that the place should be promptly filled by recom- 

 mending some person who has not only had experience in fighting fire, but, also, one 

 who will command the respect and obedience of a posse of fellow citizens when it is 

 necessary to order them out to fight fire. In further compliance with the require- 

 ments of the Fire Law, he should see that every forest town is properly divided into 

 small districts, and a district firewarden, properly located, appointed in each. Dur- 

 ing his spare time, while at the Albany office, he should prepare maps of each town 

 showing the subdivision into fire districts. He should, also, attend to the distribu- 

 tion among the firewardens of the printed notices containing the rules and regula- 

 tions of the Forestry Department in relation to the prevention and extinction of 

 forest fires, and should see that these notices are thoroughly and properly posted 

 throughout the woodland districts of the Adirondacks and Catskills. 



" During the winter, when not busy in adjusting the annual accounts, lie should 

 spend his time in traveling about through the various towns, visiting each fire- 

 warden and district firewarden in order to see that everything is fully organized 

 and ready for fighting the spring fires." 



In this connection I would again urge that the surest way to decrease the num 

 ber of forest fires is through the prompt and vigorous prosecution of the persons 

 to whose criminal carelessness so many fires are due. When, in each locality, some 

 of these offenders have been fined or jailed, then the fires from such causes will 

 cease, and not until then. A chief firewarden, if appointed, would follow up each 

 fire and ascertain the cause. If it started through carelessness or willful neglect in 

 burning fallows or abandoned camp fires, he would institute the necessary legal pro- 

 ceedings. As it is now, the firewardens are afraid to report the cause of the fires in 

 their district. Too often, through fear of their neighbors, they report " Cause 

 unknown." There should be no difficulty in ascertaining where a fire started ; and 

 it requires but little effort or intelligence to ascertain the cause. 



In short, a regiment might as well be sent into service without an officer, as to 

 expect that the large force of firewardens can attain any degree of proper efficiency 

 without some directing head. 



If through the necessary legislation the Superintendent can be provided with an 

 assistant, who, under his direction, will devote his time wholly to the supervision of 



