Pennsylvania Act 1897-7 — CONSTABLES OF TOWNSHIPS MADE EX-OFFICIO FIRE WARDENS

Act text

CONSTABLES OF TOWNSHIPS MADE EX-OFFICIO FIRE WARDENS
                   Act of Mar. 30, 1897, P.L. 9, No. 7                Cl. 32
                                  AN ACT

     Making constables of townships ex-officio fire wardens for the
        extinction of forest fires, and for reporting to the court of
        quarter sessions violations of the laws for the protection of
        forests from fire, prescribing the duties of such fire
        wardens and their punishment for failure to perform the same,
        and empowering them to require, under penalty, the assistance
        of other persons in the extinction of such fires.

        Section 3.  Wardens to report to quarter sessions; penalty
     for failure to report
        The fire wardens of each township throughout the Commonwealth
     shall, in the first week of each term of the court of quarter
     sessions of their respective counties, make returns to said
     court, under oath or affirmation, of all violations occurring
     within their respective townships which may come or be brought
     to their notice of any of the provisions of any law now enacted,
     or hereafter to be enacted for the purpose of protecting forests
     from fire, and it shall be the special duty of the judge of said
     court to see these returns are faithfully made; and on failure
     of any fire warden to comply with this provision, or if it be
     found upon examination or inquiry by said court that any fire
     warden has either wilfully or negligently omitted to report all
     such violation occurring within his township, or having failed
     to perform his duty as set forth in section one of this act,
     such fire warden or constable shall be deemed guilty of wilfully
     or negligently making a false return, or neglect of duty, and
     the court shall suspend him from office and direct the district
     attorney to indict and try him, and, if found guilty, he shall
     be fined in a sum not exceeding fifty dollars, and undergo an
     imprisonment not exceeding three months, both or either, at the
     discretion of the court.  1897, March 30, P.L. 9, Sec. 3.
        Section 4.  Definition of "forest"
        The term forest herein used shall not, for the purposes of
     this bill, be held to include an area of timber land or brush
     land of less than fifty acres in extent, unless such said area
     shall by proximity to other timber land be liable to convey fire
     to an area of brush land or timber land containing at least
     fifty acres.  1897, March 30, P.L. 9, Sec. 4.