FISHERIES, GAME AND FORESTS. 275 



There were several small fires reported which are not included in this tabulation, 

 because the scorched areas and the damages were insignificant. These fires were 

 observed at the start, and were promptly extinguished before the flames had time 

 to spread. 



Most of the firewardens are active, efficient men, and good fire fighters ; but some 

 of them are worthless and should be discharged. I am confident that the number and 

 areas of the fires could be reduced materially if there were only a better organization 

 of the force of firewardens. There are 281 town firewardens, each of whom is a law 

 unto himself. They are apt to feel independent of rules and regulations, for they 

 receive no salary, and are paid only for the actual time that they are fighting fire. 

 Their efficiency would be greatly increased, and the damage from fire decreased, if some 

 competent man were appointed to supervise their work, and devote his entire time to 

 the proper enforcement of the various paragraphs in the forestry law relating to the 

 prevention of fire. 



In the following tabulation it will be seen that few of the firewardens report the 

 cause of the fire, although the law requires them to do so, and their attention has been 

 repeatedly called to their failure in this respect. In some cases they may have been 

 unable to ascertain the cause ; but, more often, they knew the reason, and refrained 

 from stating it to avoid trouble with their neighbors. If there was a chief firewarden, 

 as just suggested, he would visit the scene of each fire, find out the cause, and prose- 

 cute the guilty party whose careless or wilful act caused the mischief. 



