Ogden Daily Standard | 1918-12-05 | Page 8 | Greater Protection for the U. S. Forests

oo Greater Protection For the U. S. Forests Provisions for pushing more rapidly the improvement work in the forests of the United States, for a greater number of forest guards, and for earlier ear-lier organization each fire season of the protective system are advocated by the secretary of agriculture in his annual report. Protection of the forests during the season of 1918 proved an exceptionally exceptional-ly difficult task, says the secretary. An unusual strain was imposed on an organization somewhat depleted in numbers and much weakened by the loss of many of its most experienced men. Added to this was the difficulty of securing good men for temporary appointment as guards during the fire season, and parties of men for fighting large fires. An unusually early and severe se-vere dry season caused the outbreak of serious fires before the summer protective protec-tive organization was fully ready. Some embarrassmont in meeting tho situation, the report comments, was caused by tho failure of the annual appropriation act to pass congress until un-til after the fire season was virtually over. Relief was furnished by the president, who placed 51,000,000 at the secretary's disposal as a loan from the president's emergency fund. It may be necessary, the secretary says, to seek -from congress again a defi- ciency appropriation of $750,000 oo