provements are in the charge of the harbor commission under the supervision of the state engineering department. The interest and principal of this debt are to be paid from the receipts arising from the use of the harbor. The ferry building, wharves, and other improvements on the water front in San Francisco amount in value to more than eighteen million dollars. The money collected for the use of this property is used by the commission to meet expenses, to provide for the payment of the interest and principal of state bonds which have been issued for the benefit of the harbor, and to make necessary improvements. All the money must, however, be accounted for and paid to the state treasurer and be expended on warrants issued by the controller. The harbor commissioners of San Francisco and of San Diego are authorized to appoint necessary wharfingers, engineers, janitors, and other employees.

The legislature of 1913 provided for a new harbor commission for San José. The commission consists of three persons, residents of San José, appointed by the governor, to serve without compensation for four years. It has jurisdiction over certain sloughs that are used for navigation at the southern end of San Francisco bay, the water fronts of which belong in part to the state.

147. Other Harbor Officials. Each harbor has a pilot commission consisting of three members, appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate, whose duty is to examine and license pilots. San Francisco has four port wardens, and San Diego and Eureka one each. Their duty is to inspect and keep an official record of vessels and cargoes which arrive in a damaged condition. This is to assist in adjusting insurance and to protect the interests of absent parties.

The legislature of 1911 passed a bill providing that any city whose water front is owned by the state may issue bonds to assist in improving the water front. The desirability of the state's deeding the water front in every case to the city in which it is located has been much discussed in recent years, but such a policy has not yet been adopted. 1 Political Code, §§ 368, 369, 2501, 2429 seq.

Edward M. Hulme

148. The Department of Forestry.1 The state board of forestry consists of the governor, the secretary of state, the attorney-general, and the state forester. The state forester is appointed by the governor to serve during his pleasure at a salary of $3000 a year. He is the secretary and the executive officer of the board, and has his office in the capitol. He appoints a deputy forester, an assistant forester, and a stenographer.

There are about 19,500,000 acres of forested land in California. About 11,000,000 acres of this land belong to the United States. The balance belongs to private individuals and corporations, except the California Redwood Park, near Santa Cruz, which belongs to the state. It is the aim of the forestry department to coöperate with the federal authorities in protecting the national forests; and to coöperate with the owners, and with various counties, in protecting privately owned forests. Fire and the ax are the great destroyers of forests. The state forester appoints as many fire wardens throughout the state as he considers necessary.3 These men receive no pay from the state; but their number includes, in addition to volunteer fire wardens, practically all federal forest supervisors and rangers, as well as certain employees of the fish and game commission, and a number of fire wardens in the employ of certain counties, all of whom accept appointment from the state because of the additional powers that it confers

1 Statutes of 1905, page 235.

2 This park consists of 3800 acres of redwood timber. It is under the control of a commission consisting of the governor and four other members appointed by him. The commissioners, who serve without pay, appoint a park warden and other necessary employees and determine their compensation.

The number is at present between eleven and twelve hundred.

4 These fire wardens are appointed by the state forester but are paid by the respective counties (§§ 42, 15).

upon them. They have the powers of peace officers and may arrest violators of the state forest laws. They may also compel private citizens to assist in fighting fires. The state board of forestry may cause any forest to be inspected at any time, and may compel the owner to clean up and burn any dry brush and other inflammable material.

The department has no supervisory power over cutting and logging operations in privately owned forests. All that it can do in the direction of protecting these forests is to compile and furnish such information to lumbermen as will convince them of the value of scientific forestry. The appropriations so far made by the legislature have not permitted the department to accomplish much along this line.

Our forests should be conserved not only because future generations are entitled to a share in them, but because of their relation to the water resources of the state. Rain falling on forest-covered mountains is held by the dense root mesh until much of it can percolate into subterranean reservoirs which feed springs and artesian wells during the long summer months; but rain falling on bare mountain slopes runs off immediately, causing floods in the lowlands during the rainy season, and making springs and artesian wells impossible during the summer. Our fruit industry and our municipal water supplies are thus in larger measure than is commonly realized dependent on mountain forests.

149. State Department of Weights and Measures.1 In order that the people may be protected against dealers who use scales and measuring instruments that give short weight and short measure, the legislature of

1 Statutes of 1913, Chapter 597.

1913 created a new department of weights and measures. The department consists of a superintendent and a deputy superintendent of weights and measures for the state at large, and a sealer of weights and measures for each county in the state. The superintendent is appointed by the governor to serve at a salary of $3600 a year, for four years, unless sooner removed by the governor. The deputy is appointed by the superintendent, and the sealers of the various counties by boards of supervisors. City governments are also empowered to provide for municipal sealers of weights and measures.

The superintendent of weights and measures must keep in his office in Sacramento standards of weights and measures which have been approved by the national bureau of standards. He must furnish copies of these standards on request to any county or city in the state. Sealers of weights and measures use these standards in examining scales and measuring instruments used in business throughout the state. No scales or measuring instruments may be offered for sale until they have been examined and "sealed," that is, approved and stamped as correct. The superintendent and his deputy, and all local sealers and deputies have the powers of peace officers. They may enter private places of business for inspection purposes, and may make arrests and institute prosecutions when fraud in weighing or measuring is discovered. They may seize weighing or measuring instruments that are below standard, and may destroy any such that are not capable of being repaired.

150. The State Water Commission.1 - This commission consists of the governor, the state engineer, and

1 Statutes of 1913, Chapter 586.

three other members appointed by the governor. The term of office is four years, and the salary of each of the appointed members is $5000 a year. The office of the commission is in Sacramento. It is authorized to employ a secretary, and such other assistants as it may require at such salaries as it may determine upon.

It is the duty of the commission to protect the interests of the people in the public waters of the state. It must investigate the various streams and lakes of the state in order to determine to what extent water and its use have been filed upon and appropriated by private individuals and corporations. Every such appropriation is declared to be void unless the water is actually being put to some useful purpose, or unless preparations for using it are being carried forward in good faith. One of the principal duties of the commission is to prevent the electric power sites of the state from being acquired in perpetual ownership by private corporations. If all, or a large percentage, of such sites should be thus acquired, and should fall into the hands of some great combination or trust, the people of California would be compelled to pay unfair prices for electric power with little hope of redress. No future appropriations of water or its use may be made except by permission of the commission. Applications must be made to the commission according to details worked out in the law. Every case is investigated and if the commission approves, it issues a license to the person or corporation making the application. Each license is granted. under specific conditions as to the manner in which the water is to be used, and the commission has power to revoke any license at any time if these conditions are disregarded. Certain fees must be paid when applications