tion stations, traveling expenses of the district rangers and railroad fire inspectors, also the establishment of new stations. For these purposes $16,760 should be apportioned, making an entire appropriation of $125,000 for fire protective purposes. A separate fund of $25,000 should be available for the extraordinary expense incurred in extinguishing fires. The Governor should be given authority to authorize the Comptroller to pay additional sums for such extraordinary expense in case of emergency as existed during the past season. This sum will be but slightly in excess of what has been appropriated for fire protection. The budget which was prepared this year was made on the above lines, but the expense of fighting fire approximated $45,000, nearly one-half of our appropriation, and, it was necessary to lay off the entire ranger force November 1st. The necessity of an all year force has already been pointed out, but additional difficulties are encountered in that it is impossible to secure the quality of men which we need for $60 per month during a short period each year. Therefore, in order to have a force of efficiency, which we require, it is necessary that a portion of it be employed during the entire year. The provision of law that railroads properly clear their rights of way has been enforced, and the companies have complied with our requirements. In a similar manner the debris upon the highways has been removed, thereby reducing the fire danger. There are, however, many instances in which there are quantities of slash and other inflammable material immediately adjacent to railroad rights of way or highways, which have not been removed, and which at the present time we have no authority to require the owners to dispose of. The commission should be given discre tionary power to compel the owners of such premises, who are so negligent as to leave fire traps of this character, to properly dispose of the debris. It would not act as a hardship upon the person, because whatever efforts he expended would be a protection to his own property. During the past few years some of the softwood operators, who are lumbering spruce, have introduced a method of bark peeling in the woods. This leaves a large quantity of fine spruce bark chips in the woods which soon become dry and decay very slowly; therefore, they are a fire danger for years. This operation has greatly increased the danger from forest fires, both as to their origin and spread. This Commission is, under the statute, charged with the protection of both State and private lands. If conditions of this kind are to be created, it will be impossible to maintain efficient fire protection. The State itself being a large land owner, whose holdings are intermixed with those of private parties, is vitally interested from the standpoint of protection of its property. I believe that steps should be taken to prohibit the practice of peeling spruce bark and leaving the material in the woods as is practised at present. If the land owners desire protection from fire they must not create such inflammable conditions and then expect that fires can be prevented and controlled. One of the large fires of the season was started by a paper balloon. Similar fires have been caused in other years. Instructions were issued to all mountain observers to remain on their stations the Fourth of July evening to detect such fires. The fire risk caused by these balloons is very great; and their use should be prohibited. FOREST PRODUCTS The statute requires that the Superintendent of State Forests shall compile each year statistics showing the amount of lumber manufactured and wood used for commercial purposes from timber grown in the State, and shall report the same to the Commission. Owing to the fact that the compilation of these figures involves a large amount of labor and that many mills operate throughout the year, such information is not received at the office until the beginning of the following year, therefore, the statistics, which are submitted herewith, are for the calendar year 1912. STATISTICS The following table indicates the quantities of lumber and pulpwood cut within the State classified by species, also the number of mills reporting particular kinds of lumber: There are in this State approximately twelve million acres of land upon which there is some kind of forest growth, only about one-half of which contains merchantable material. The best avail |