COMMERCIAL YALUES. 



Some Notes of a Study of the Work of the Forest, Fish and Game 

 Commission of New ]'ork State. 



JOHN D. WlUSir, SECRETAEY OF COMMISSION. 



Mr. President and Gentlemen : — 



It gives me gi'eat pleasure to stand here as a member of th<; 

 ximerican Fisheries Society, bringing the official greetings of the 

 Commission having charge of the Forest, Fish and Game inter- 

 ests of the state of Xew York. Some time ago our courteous and 

 energetic secretary suggested that certain computations which 

 we had been making would be interesting to this meeting and 1 

 trust you will find them so. You all know, as practical men, that 

 while some of us are studying the problem of black bass propaga- 

 tion, or endeavoring to find a way to keep the lol)ster from be- 

 coming extinct, otliers must handle the no less serious prol)leni 

 of providing funds to carry on the work. Somebody must appear 

 before the Legislative Gommittee and argue for the appropria- 

 tion ; somebody must be prepared to explain to the satisfaction of 

 the inquiring tax-payer Just what the people will get for their 

 money, if the required sum is })r()\i(k'(l. 



Over in York state we have a business man for governor, and 

 he has appointed experienced business men as heads of the state 

 departments, as far as possible. Therefore we have the question 

 of income going hand in hand with the question of outlay, and 

 this seems to be particularly the case in matters connected with 

 the forest, fish and game interests. The result has been the con- 

 fusion of our enemies as one or two practical illustrations will 

 prove. Let me first call your attention to the forests, since these 

 shelter and maintain the waters we stock with fish from our 

 hatcheries. The Commission of which I have the honor to be the 

 secretary, administers for the people a vast woodland estate com- 

 prising over ;],000,000 acres in the famous Adirondack region, 

 over 80,000 Mcres in tlu^ historic Catskill moiuitains, and in addi- 

 tion an (\\tensive jileasure ground on the St. Lawrence river 

 called the International Park. Last year we com])iled some sta- 

 tistics calculated to show the moni'y value to the state of these 



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