DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOREST PROTECTION SERVICE HONORABLE HONORÉ MERCIER, MINISTER F. X. LEMIEUX, DEPUTY-MINISTER- -HENRI KIEFFER, CHIEF OF THE PROTECTION SERVICE Prior to the creation of the new service branch of Protection, the Forestry Service Branch, was entrusted, in addition to its already important duties, with the task of organizing the prevention and extinguishing of fires in the forests of the Province. Although this organization received the closest attention of those entrusted with its accomplishment, yet it lacked the importance you gave it by creating it a special service. The information relating to forest fires, occupied in the Minister's Report, a necessarily limited space, due to the abundance of other subjects relating to the administration of the Department of Lands and Forests, which had to be treated. In addition to that, information which had to be published being limited to a certain date, prevented our giving all the results of our operations during the then current year. The fact that the fiscal and calendar years do not correspond, compelled us to defer to the following year, most of the information relating to the Forest Protection Service. The creation, in 1924, of a Special Service is not without adding considerable importance to the problem of the protection of the forests. It coincides with a desire generally expressed by the Public to obtain all possible information concerning the forests. It has occurred to us that the time was opportune to publish a special report in which we would endeavour to give the public full information on the various operations relating to the fight against fire, and the prevention of this dreadful scourge, as well as on the damages which, despite our best efforts, might have been caused to the forest by fire. This special report will restore to its place the problem of the preservation of our forest resources against fire. It will give it a prominence it could not have in the general report owing to the abundance of subject to be treated and which necessarily reduced its proportions to the minimum. The whole respectfully submitted. HENRI KIEFFER, Chief of the Protection Service. |