Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1933-05-18
500 Young Men Go To
Conservation Camps

King County's initial quota of 500
young men between the ages of 18 and
26 for the Civilian Conservation Camps
,, has been filled but applications are
being taken at district offices of the
King County Welfare Board for the
next group to be called.
Older men, married or single, who
| have had forestry experience will be
especially wanted in the next contin-
gent. Enrolment of the group is ex-
pected soon. The first 500 to be taken
are now in the army camps at Fort
Lawton, Fort Worden and Fort Lewis,
receiving physical training. They will
be moved shortly to the forest camps,
70 of which are to be set up in the
state.
w. D. Shannon, county welfare COM
missioner, yesterday described the
work and the camp life of Washing
tons army of forest men. He expects
that as result of the permanent i'm
provements to be made during the
summer that 1t will be easier to pro-
tect the woodlands and to safeguard
the people from the reek and smoke
OF burning timber
1.-THE work will include making trails,
! paths, simple roads and fire lanes"
said Mr.. Shannon. Experience has
shown that many fires are started by
lightning which strikes in painless
and trailless forest. BY opening the
lines of communication with the OUT
side, fire fighters may get to the scene
of the blaze before it gets beyond con-
troll.
"The forest improvement work will
include the planting of trees, the
eradication of pests and the thinning
of unwanted trees and the elimination
of worthless species. There will be
handspring and clearing of park areas
and the construction of watch towers
at strategic places. The men will be
subject to emergency calls to fight
forest fires.
ut is to be expected that most of
the men will be inexperienced in for
est work. Many of them will come
from nontimbered states. The leaders
and foremen will be those who live
near the forest and will help the men
break in on the job. Physical health
and strength, willingness to work hard
and good conduct are enough to carry
a man through successfully.
According to Mr.. Shannon the Civil
ian Conservation Corps will not be
under military discipline. The cloth
ing issued by the army will be work
clothes and not military uniforms. The
camps themselves will be in charge
of officers of the army which will
furnish equipment, the service of sup
ply and management. The men will
work under the supervision of fedora!
foresters or employees of the National
Park Service.
All enrollments are being made for
period of six months The men
pledge themselves to remain in the
service that period unless sooner re-
leased by proper authority. Wages
will be paid twice month. The allot-
ment which man has made to his
dependents will be mailed directly to
them by the army while the remainder
will be paid to the workers in cash.
Commissioner Shannon stressed that
an allotment of S25 month would
not automatically remove family
from the relief list but would be con-
sidered in estimating the needs of the
family or dependents In addition to
the $50 month paid in wages, the
men will receive free medical service,
hospital care If needed, and will be
compensated under the federal law
governing the care of government en-
ployeS in case of accident.