The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-07-28
GOVERNMENT TO
COOPERATE
With Minnesota Against
Forest Fires

A cooperative agreement which
has been entered into between the
u. S. Department of Agriculture
and the State of Minnesota pro-
vides for an expenditure by the
Government of not to exceed $10,-
900 during next year toward meet
ing the expenses of forest fire pro-
lection in Minnesota. The
cooperative agreement is made
possible by the terms of the Weeks
law, which Congress passed last
winter.
This law, besides providing for
the purchase by the National
Government of lands on the head
waters of navigable rivers for the
purpose of creating National
Forests to protect these rivers,
carried also an appropriation of
100000 which the Secretary of
Agriculture might expend in order
to protect from fire, in cooperation
with the States, similar lands in
State or private ownership. Itwas
provided in the law that ex-
penditures by the Federal Govern
ment in any State should not
exceed the amount spent by the
State itself in the cooperative work.
Other States which have signed
similar cooperative agreements with
the Government are Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey,
and Wisconsin.
The Secretary of Agriculture
concluded that the most effective
way to use the money available
would be by requiring, as pre-
liminary to entering into an
agreement with any State fo1
cooperative fire protection. that
| the State authorities should submit
definite plan showing in detail
exactly what it was proposed to do
| With these plans were required
maps showing areas to which pro-
lection would be given. All plans
submitted are carefully examined by
the Department of Agriculture, tt
see both that the area to be protect
ed is actually forested land on the
headwaters of navigable streams
and that the plan of protection pro.
posed is we'll conceived anc
thoroughly practical, with an or.
gained and effective system oil
administration by capable State
officers. 1t was decided for the
present year that the amount spent
in any one State by the National
Government should be limited tc
$4,000.
The funds of the Federal Govern.
ment will be used solely for paying
patro1men. The State officials
select these patrolmen, subject tC
the approval of the Department OF
Agriculture. The maps submitted
to the Federal Government show
where each of these patrolmen will
be located, the approximate routes
of patrol, and all matters necessary
to a clear understanding of the
States plan of fire control, includ-
ing the location of lookout points,
telephone communications, railroad
patrols location of State forest fire
wardens and other officials, and
the like.
In short, the basic idea is that
efficient fire protection can be given
only by the Development of a
carefully worked out, well manned,
and capably differed scheme,
which studies the situation before
hand and makes provision for the
most effective disposal and use OF
the available forces, with view
both to preventing fires from get
ting started and concentrating up
on them quickly if they do get
started. In the National Forests
of the West, where the fires must
often be rought at a long distance
from a base of supplies, a further
consideration, often of great i'm
portance, is how to provision the
forces which are on the fire line
perhaps for days at a time. Tc
provide for this every Forest Office
10 ovroofad RI 1rOxxy hafOraho r, n