The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1914-02-07
Decrease In Forest Fire Losses.


Losses by forest fires In Michigan.
which have Appropriated upwards
OF $1,000,000 annually for so years.
dropped from $3.400,000 in 1911 to
$4,000 in 1912 and to less than s23,.
600 In 1913. according to the annual re.
port Of State Forestry Warden Will
liam II. Oates which was sent to Gov
ernor Ferris.
Unprecedented drouth last summer
made the season anything but fa-
vorable one for the prevention and
suppression of fires, according to War
den Oates. THE cause CT the remark.
able reduction of annual loss must be
assigned to working agencies rather
than conditions" says Oates. This
department cannot In fairness claim
more than a nominal credit in the
elimination of forest fires. II sub
mits that the curbing. suppression and
prevention Of forest fires and the re-
sultant reduction OF loss is due to
systematic and thorough organization
of the township supervisors of the
forest district as local fire wardens
and the educational posters and litera,
ture on the suppression OF forest fires.
placed through them before the town.
ship communities.
The Improvement and standardiza
ton of locomotives and rights-ofway
inspection helped materially. while
the moral enlistment OF 5000 school
boys Of the forest district as Michigan
Forest Scouts, with the prime pur-
pose of prevention Of forest fires and
reforestation. was an important factor
Among the other important factors
In preventing fires was the protective
service instituted by the public do.
main commission on It's reserves Of
state lands: the practical and ener-
getic field work of the several indie.
pendent lumbermen's protective as
sociations; the splendid publicity given
by the city and country press OF
Michigan on all matters pertaining to
forestry and the prevention and sup.
preston Of forest fires"
Notable In view OF the marked re-
duction Of loss. by forest fires is the
fact that many more were reported to
the department In 1918 than were re.
ported in 1911, when the loss on
merchantabie timber and other readily
estimated property was stupendous.
Following the disastrous fires OF
1911, eliminating In the destruction
of the populous towns Of Oscoda and
An Sable, the forestry warden exploit
ed the organization OF the school boys
Of the district for forest fire service.
In 1912 there were 1900 enrolled as
auxiliaries to the state fire warden's
department under the title Of Michigan
Forest Scouts. Besides extinguishing
500 fires, some Of which were OF con.
siderable magnitude. the scouts did ef
fective work as messengers for the
regular wardens and supervisors and as
educators in forest fire prevention. In
1913 the Forest Scouts increased to q
membership OF 5000. They more than
duplicated the work OF the previous
year with record OF 731 fires extin.
gulshed and reported. Last May the
scouts established object lessons In re-
forestation by planting OF unit forests
Of 1000 trees near many of the prin-
cipal towns and villages Of the state.
Inasmuch as It has been noted that
many forest fires were set by allen
immigrants. special effort has been
made 10 acquaint this class OF people
with preventive knowledge. Among
the foreigners Of Marquette. Baraga,
Iron, Houghton and Ontonagon coun-
ties, scout companies for the several
nationalities have been organized and
the English text In FIRE fighting has
been translated by lecturing inter
prefers.
Articles Of incorporation.
Articles Of incorporation have been
fled with the secretary OF state by
the following Michigan firms:
G. J. Netting company, Detroit, In
crease $4,000 to 100000. M
Springman Paper Products COM
pany. Detroit; increase $4,000 to
$4,000.
Barnett Amusement company, De-
troit: $4,000. Eddie Barnett and B.
d. Wetzman.
Bauer Aldrich company. Detroit;
AZ 600 Frank pauer Rvrop q AlA