Charlevoix county herald., 1913-05-03

the acreage under assessment, the
hundreds of settlers living in the pro-
tected zone are receiving the benefits,
without cost. The timber owners do
not ask the settlers to contribute TO
the fund, the only request being
made Is that they give their cooper
alton In return for the protection the
timber men are so cheerfully paying
for.
The extinguishment Of small fires,
the prompt reporting OF those too
large TO be quickly put out and the
CAREFUL use Of fire in everv particular
from the lighting Of pipe 10 the
burning Of their slash is asked and
the records Of these Forest Protective
Departments show that 95 per cent
OF the people residents aud visitors
alike respond to the call to help in
the good work.
Many OF the Railroad systems pene-
trating the Fire zone OF Michigan,
have been negligent in the past rela-
tive TO proper screening Of ash pans
and front ems OF their locomotives.
However. since it has been brought TO
| their notice by an accurate system Of
compiling records that the offending
roads are responsible for 10 per cent of
! the forest hres it is demanded and
| expected that much improvement in
equipement will be made by certain
| railroad companies. 1t is believed
that railroad men in general are be-
coming interested in the No Forest
Fire idea as they now fully realize
that the disastrous fires Of the past
has materially reduced the shipping
from many localities and that every
large fire means 10 them great loss
as well as to the timber owners.
The Michigan State Forest Law
provides that supervisors Of town.
ships shall act as Fire Wardens in
their respective townships and it
shall be the duty of each Fire
Warden 10 take precautions TO
prevent the settling OF forest fires
and when his district is suffering
or threatened with fire to go TO
the place OF danger to control such
fires and the tire warden shall
have the authority TO call to his
assistance any able bodied male
person over eighteen years OF age,
il such person refuses without rea-
sonable justification or excuse to
assist, or il any fire warden re-
fuses or neglects To perform the
duties assigned him, such officer
or person shall be deemed guilty
Of misdemeanor and shall upon
conviction thereof be punished
by fine Of not more than one
hundred dollars or imprisonment In
the county jail not TO exceed three
months. This is a very good law but
has been largely imperative in the
past since the law further provides
that-two dollars per day shall be the
wages paid for fire lighting and the
cost uf fire fighting shall be paid by
the township ia which the fire takes
place. one-third Of the amount to be
returned by the State TO the Town
shi from the general revenue fund.
Many supervisors have side stepped
fire lighting on account OF the expense
created for theic townships. The pri-
vate Forest Protective Department
insists that supervisors do their duty
provided. For the Supervisor TO re-
fuse 10 take hold OF the situation
during dry periods when fires are pre-
valent. is very short sighted on his
part for IL destructive fires are allow
ed to roam at will, the damage TO al
community is SO great that in strik-
ing comparison between fire fight
ing cost and loss from unchecked fires
the balance shows much property Of
cash value has gone skyward in smoke
never to return that might have been
saved by the expenditure Of five, or at
the outside ten per cent of the loss
sustained. Grant the loss to individ-
ual timber owners In any Township
10 be one hundred thousand dollars
figured on stumpage basis. the loss
To the community is at least i've timts
this amount, the money which would
have been paid for labor in the harvest
ing uf this timber is lost TO labor and
In its stead remains devasted aud
blsckened ruin.
We are convinced the day of the de-
structive Forest Fire in Michigan is
about To become condition OF the
past. The systematic manner in
which the Forest Protective Associa.
tions are going at the work is bound
TO bring to the minds of every one the
fact that fire Is an element which
must be handled with care. The care
full use Of fire and the prompt exiting
ulshment Of incipient fires augmented