CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 5 



commission is now propagating for distribution, approximately a 

 billion fish; that there is a steadily increasing demand for an ex- 

 tension of the invaluable work of protection of fish and game, now 

 performed by ninety-five regular game protectors ; that more than 

 a million horsepower to-day remains to be harnessed and utilized 

 for the general good, the equivalent of 10,000.000 tons of coal 

 per year. But whereas coal once consumed is destroyed, water is 

 an ever renewable natural resource. 



Herein are involved far-reaching problems whose solution calls 

 for intelligent, concerted administrative and legislative action ; 

 but a plan which shall save and store, the vast horse-power now 

 annually dissipated in flood and freshet, and utilize it for com- 

 mercial use, to the benefit alike of public treasury and of private 

 industry, will mark a constructive achievement not surpassed in 

 our State since the days of Governor 'Clinton and the Erie Canal. 



The Conservation Law took effect July 21, 1911 ; but not until 

 November 15th last, was consolidation completed, in fact as well 

 as in law, through occupancy of the property located at 21-23 

 Washington avenue, where all the theretofore scattered divisions 

 and bureaus are now housed under one roof, greatly facilitating 

 the conduct of departmental business. 



The Conservation Law directs the Conservation Commission to 

 report to the Legislature on or before January 15, 1912, bills to 

 " revise and consolidate into the Conservation Law" all laws re- 

 lating to lands and forests, to fish and game, to hydraulic develop- 

 ment, and to water storage for power purposes. These proposed 

 statutes will in due course come before the Legislature. Con- 

 temporaneously, the Commission has co-operated with the joint 

 committee of the Legislature headed by Senator T. Harvey Ferris, 

 which has held many hearings on water storage and hydraulic 

 development, in various parts of the State. 



'Such recommendations as the Commission is ready to submit 

 along these lines of proposed legislation will be found, for greater 

 clarity, in the parts of this report devoted severally to the Division 

 of Lands and Forests, the Division of Fish and Game, and the 

 Division of Inland Waters. 



Hereto annexed, and made a part of this report, will be found a 

 financial statement by which it will be seen that this Department 



