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missioner of Forestry of all sales of land for unpaid taxes; they are 

 also required to advertise such sales, under certain restrictions, in 

 the county papers of the districts in which the lands are located. 



The Commissioner of Forestry is limited in the price to be paid 

 by a proviso in the law to the effect that "the price paid for said lands, 

 shall in no case exceed the amount of the taxes for the non-payment 

 of which the same are being sold, and the costs." 



Acting under the provisions of this act, the Forestry Commissioner 

 has purchased at tax sales 55,681 acres and 90 perches of land, of 

 which 3,482 acres and 51 perches were bought at commissioners' 

 sales, and, therefore, not subject to redemption by defaulting tax- 

 payers. The remaining 52,199 acres and 39 perches were purchased 

 at treasurer's sales, and are subject to redemption by the default- 

 ing taxpayers at any time within two years from the date of the sale. 

 Some of this latter class of land, the Commissioner reports, will no 

 doubt be redeemed, but in such cases the State will not lose anything, 

 a^ the former owner must, before he can redeem the land, pay all back 

 taxes and expenses, and, in such instances, the money will be paid 

 into the county treasury and the county treasurer will reimburse 

 the State Treasurer for any outlay which may have been made from 

 State funds. 



The Forestry Commissioner advises that, in section 1 of this act, 

 the time for advertising should be changed from "six weeks" as at 

 present, to four weeks, as the longer time involves quite an expense, 

 arid especially in thinly settled counties in which the cost of adver- 

 tising is quite a burden. 



The purchases which have already been made under this act are 

 located in the counties of Clearfield, Clinton, Lycoming, Monroe, 

 Pike and Elk. There are large areas in other counties and other areas 

 in the same co.unties which may eventually become available, but the 

 desire of the Commissioner to have the reservations as nearly in 

 one block as possible has caused delay in making purchases, it being 

 thought best to go slowly at first and only purqhase such areas as 

 actual examinations show to be sufficiently closely located to answer 

 the requirements and purposes of the act. 



The Commission contemplated by the act of May 25, 1897, not 

 having been all named, no work has been done under the act, but the 

 Commissioner of Forestry, anticipating the appointment of the two 

 remaining members of the Commission, has examined numerous areas 

 in the State which are believed to be suitable to the requirements 

 of the act, and, as soon as the Commission shall have been appointed 

 and organized, the work may be commenced and rapidly carried to 

 completion. 



It is believed that the results of these two acts, working in unison, 

 will give our State a series of forestry reservations which will ac- 



