nent camper has a personal interest in the locality where he resides, while the transient is usually careless and lacks this interest.

There are about 130,000 acres of land in small isolated parcels, sometimes as small as one-eighth of an acre, and in a few cases consisting of a few hundred, scattered over large areas outside the park and not answering any purpose required by the State. They are expensive to protect and cannot be sold because the Constitution prevents.

There are disadvantages as well as advantages in a change of the constitutional prohibition but the balance is decidedly in support of more use of this large resource. As a question of economy, is it wise to permit the annual waste of 250,000,000 feet of lumber worth, at least, $1,000,000? Should not this great area be made not only self supporting but revenue producing? Why not convert a $1,000,000 loss and $365,000 expense into a substantial revenue? The State owns in the Forest Preserve 120,000 acres of denuded land which cannot be placed under forest cover except by planting and, which, therefore, does not at present fulfill its function. If a portion of this proposed income could be used for reforesting this area the State's revenue would eventually be further increased; funds would be available to purchase other lands, and thus the State's holdings be increased. The present fire protection system should be supplemented by more mountain observation stations and additional forest rangers, and unless this is done the great forests, which the Constitution aims to protect, will not be preserved. The revenue from the lease of camp sites would further increase the income. The small detached parcels outside the Park should be exchanged for lands within and the holdings consolidated, thereby decreasing the protective expense.

Placing this area under honest, practical, forest management will not detract from its beauty or protective value, and will not only give us needed wood supplies and a large net revenue, but will permit the extension of the Preserve. The German, French, Swiss and other nations have been securing these triple results. Are they our superiors?

CHANGES IN CONSTITUTION

The so-called Burd-Merritt amendment, providing for the use of 3 per cent. of the Forest Preserve for water storage purposes,

was passed by two succeeding legislatures, submitted to the people, and adopted last November. This is the first of the many proposed changes to article VII, section 7 of the Constitution adopted in 1894, which has been submitted to the people and received their approval.

During the past year another amendment was passed by the Legislature, providing for "cutting or removal of mature, dead or fallen timber or trees detrimental to forest growth," also leasing of camp sites," and "construction of roads and trails necessary for protection against fire, and for ingress and egress," and furthermore permitting" the Legislature to authorize the sale of lands outside the limits of the Adirondack and Catskill Parks as such parks now exist by law. The proceeds of such sales of lands shall be set apart in a separate fund and used only for the purchase of lands or for reforestation in such parks." This amendment must be passed by another Legislature, then adopted by the people at a general election before it will be effective.

FOREST FIRE PROTECTION

This office is charged with the protection from fire of approximately seven and one-quarter million acres in the central portions of the Adirondack and Catskill Mountain regions. The area protected is the same as during last year.

We have maintained in this region during the fire season a force of rangers and observers for this purpose. The aim is to first prevent as many fires as possible, and, second, to be prepared to extinguish all fires which cannot be prevented. The lines pursued are varied and have produced excellent results.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

In order to successfully plan a system of fire protection, it is of primary importance to study the causes of fire, the regions, time of year and other elements which contribute to or are responsible for their origin. As a matter of fact, practically all of the fires, the cause of which can be eliminated, are directly or indirectely the result of carelessness. The following table shows the total number of fires reported, classified according to cause: