isi' (iVPSV AND BROWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



superintendent none have taken the form of a suit against the 

 municipality in which the work was done. The superintend- 

 i nt is of the opinion that legislation should be enacted to recog- 

 nize ilir possible rights of property owners to compensation 

 where it becomes necessary to destroy such property. If such 

 an amendment to the existing laws, permitting compensation, is 

 enacted, there should also be taken into account the benefits de- 

 rived by the property owner through the work of having the 

 moth suppressed on his property. 



Under existing legislation, the property owner receives a 

 notice requiring him to clear the moths from his estate, and a 

 reasonable period is allowed him in which to do the work, the 

 date of notification usually being November 1, and the expira- 

 tion of the time limit December 1 or January 1. While em- 

 ployees of the central and local organizations now have the 

 right to enter upon all lands for the purpose of suppressing the 

 moths, it has been held by one judge of a municipal court and 

 by eminent lawyers that under the law local employees of cities 

 and towns have no legal right to enter on lands during the 

 period given their owner in which to clear them of the moths. 

 This matter is of small importance except in the work of 

 scouting or inspecting property, to determine if either of the 

 moths are present. A few stubborn property owners now pre- 

 vent a thorough inspection of a town or city by refusing the 

 local employees admittance to their grounds during the time 

 allowed for clearing the trees. When the time limit expires, 

 the trained scouting gang may be miles away, and must be 

 brought back at a considerable expense to complete the work. 

 Since the Call and winter scouting furnishes the data on which 

 is based the plan for future work in any town or city, the diffi- 

 culty above described should be removed by an amendment to 

 the existing legislation. 



Summary of Recommendations. 



1. For tlie etl'eetive prosecution of the field work airainst the 

 gypsy and brown-tail moths, an additional appropriation of 

 > 1 ">0,000 i- recommended for the fin-al year of 1908. 



-'. T" continue the work of importing and breeding the nat- 



