Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-10-09
OTHER STATES
WATCH JERSEY
Preliminary Work of Forest Pre-
seratiOn Meeting With Great
Success -Anti-Fire Bureau.

"
Benefits accruing from the exist
ance of a commission to take care OF
: the cumberland of the state, especially
= those sections that lave been In the
, past harrassed by the dread forest
J fire, are enumerated in a report IS
sued by Secretary William ii. Chew
J of the forestry commission.
In his report, Mr.. Chew declares
! that the commission, acting under the
laws governing that body has accom-
. nlisbed much improvement in the
D measures for the prevention or these
devastating and dangerous fires.
} The report states that throughout
: the state the good work done by the
7 commission is finding much public
favor and that in but few sections Is
: the law objected to to any great ex-
! tent.
J In but II of IA townships where
: township wardens are refuired but
are lacking, GA having complied with
the commissions order. In the town
ships where wardens have not as yet
! been appointed, d~ifficplties over the
j selection of a competent man or the
existance of some opposition to the
law.
The report of the commission fol-
lows:
!; "Thefe is increasing evidence
throughout New Jersey that the work
of the forestry commission, inaugu-
J rater by Governor Stokes, is steadily
growing in public favor. Reports re-
! ceived by the secretary, William III.
Il Chew, from all sections of the state,
. show a gratifying interest in every
movement that tends toward the
J preservation of New Jerseys fast dis
: appearing woods. Especially is this
Z true with relation to the workings of
the forest fire law, passed by the last
] legislature, and which became opera
] tive July A.. Under that law, which
! was a radical change from anytahing
I hitherto enacted in this state, with
. reference to the protection of for
. ests. it was expected that some diff
!. Guilty would be experienced in putting
) it into operation. This has not been
the case, however, for the measure
, has been approved almost without ex-
; ception by the press of the state, and
J supported everywhere by a growing
: public sentiment.
! Throughout the summer most of
. the work of the commission has been
devoted to the organization of the
. forest fire service, and bringing to he
public attention not only the law it.
self, but suggestions for the proven
J ton of forest fires. The task of or
: ganizing a force throughout the wood
! lands of New Jersey has been neces-
Z sarily a slow one, but in almost every
: section of the state the township au-
thorities have been prompt to re-
spondto any suggestions made by the
!; commission. AS a result, a body of
competent men has been chosen by
the local authorities in those districts
which are most heavily wooded.
1.-THE commission at the meeting in
July, named T. p. Price, of Ocean
county, the state fire warden, and I'M
der his direction the new force is be-
ing instructed in it's duties.
ALREADY there have been many in
cipient fires throughout the state,
which have been promptly extin-
guished by the vigilance of the town
ship fire wardens. These little fires,
while small in themselves, might
have wrought great damage but for
this new service. New Jersey in the
past has been so great a sufferer from
forest fires that it is gratifying to the
commission and must be to the peo-
pie of the state at large, to know that
the preliminary work of the fire SER
vice has met with a measure of sue
cess. 1t is true, of course, that at
the present season of the year fires
are not so prevalent in the woods as
in the spring, but it is hoped that
before the most dangerous period
arrives the force will be so thorough
ly organized as to be able to success
fully cope with any ordinary woods
fire.
1.-The commission, through the
township fire wardens, has had post
ed throughout the woods, and in all
the public places in those districts,
muslin notices cautioning the citizens
to be watchful for the woods fires.
Copies of the fire laws have also been
distributed freely, and many requests
have been received from outside of
the state for the New Jersey plan for
organizing it's fire force.
Already So township wardens
have been named in as many town.
ships throughout the state. In 10
townships, however, where the town
ship committees were requested to
appoint, no appointments habe yet
been made. In some of these there
has been difficulty in obtaining the
proper man, and in others there is
opposion to the law. Public senti-
ment, however, Is fast righting this
matter, and it is not thought that the
commission will have to avail itself
of the provisions of the lawwhich au-
thorize it to appoint wardens when
the township committees fail to act,
except in one or two cases.
THE state fire warden is now
. about to begin his visits throughout
. the state, and will confer with the
locla wardens in each localityas to
the number of district wardens each
township will require to properly
look after it's wood lands"
The &ardens appointed for Middle
sex county are as follows:
Middlesex County-East Bruins
wick township, John H. Dill; Madi-
son township, James l.. Green; Mon
doe township, Edward Johnson;
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