6 FOREST COMMISSIONERS REPORT, 



One of the townships A. Range i, Oxford County, was 

 organized as Riley Plantation in 1879, ^^^ there is no record to 

 show that the land agent at that time assumed control of the 

 public lots and the township lost the benefit of the growth on 

 960 acres of reserved land. 



The situation in what is known as Jerusalem in Franklin 

 County is similar, that township having been organized into a 

 plantation in 1881 and the state should have had the benefit of 

 the 960 acres of reserved land from that date until the present. 



In township No. 5 Range 20, Somerset County, the timber 

 and grass rights in the reserved lands of 1000 acres were never 

 sold and consequently the state has an interest in that township 

 in the proportion of 1,000-20,960 of all stumpage cut. 



One township. No. 3 Range i, North of Bingham's Kennebec 

 Purchase in Somerset County was organized in igi2 as Long 

 Pond Plantation and the state thus came into control of 950 

 acres of reserved lands in that township. The land has, how- 

 ever, been hard cut and it will be some vears before there will be 

 any income from stumpage. 



Under acts of incorporation by the Legislature of T911, three 

 plantations. Eagle Lake, Merrill and Stockholm, all in Aroos- 

 took County, became towns on the first day of July 1911 and 

 the public lots in the three plantations became the absolute prop- 

 erty of the said new towns. All money in the state treasury to 

 the credit of the above towns, which had been collected from 

 stumpage in years back is available to be paid over to the town 

 treasurer and become a permanent school fund. 



Cases of trespass during the two years were few, but those 

 reported were looked into and the parties committing the tres- 

 pass made to settle. There are still upon some of the public lots 

 in plantations, squatters who have been on the same for years', 

 having cleared farms and erected buildings. While these can- 

 not obtain a "squatters claim" against the state, it has been the 

 policy of the state not to work any great hardship upon these 

 people and nearly every legislature has provided by special re- 

 solves some way by which such residents could obtain absolute 

 control of these lands by the payment of a reasonable sum per 

 acre for the land. Money thus received has been placed to the 

 credit of the school fund of the plantation in which such cases 

 existed. 



