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lish such rules and regulations with reference to control, manage- 

 ment and protection of forestry reservations, and all lands that may 

 be acquired under the provisions of this act, as in its judgment will 

 conserve the Interests of the Commonwealth; and whereever it shall 

 appear that the welfare of the Commonwealth, with reference to 

 reforestation and the betterment of State Reservations, will be ad- 

 vanced by selling or disposing of any of the timber on forestry lands, 

 the Commission is hereby empowered to sell such timber on terms 

 most advantageous to the State ; and said Commission is hereby em- 

 powered to make and execute contracts or leases, in the name of the 

 Commonwealth, for the mining or removal of any valuable minerals 

 that may be found in said forestry reservations, whenever it shall 

 appear to the satisfaction of the Commission that it would be for the 

 best interests of the State to make such disposition of said minerals ; 

 and provided, that such contracts or leases shall also be approved by 

 the Governor of the Commonwealth after the proposed said contracts 

 or leases shall have been duly advertised in at least three newspapers 

 published nearest the reservation designated, for one month, in ad- 

 vance of said contract or lease, and the contracts or leases shall be 

 awarded to the highest bidder, and he or they shall have given such 

 bond as the commission shall designate for the performance of his 

 or their part of the contract, and the said bond shall have been ap- 

 proved by the court of the county wherein the contracts or leases are 

 made : Provided, however, that when, by virtue of leases or contracts 

 for removal of minerals and sale of timber from any lands purchased 

 by the 'State for Forestry Reservations, there comes a net revenue 

 to the State, one-half of said net revenue derived from lands situate 

 in any township shall be paid by the 'State Treasurer to the treasurer 

 of such township, for application to township purposes and reduction 

 of local tax levies in such township : Provided, That there shall not 

 be paid to any one township, during any year, more than twice the 

 amount of taxes that would be received by such township from said 

 lands if they were owned by individuals. 



Section 2. Any person or persons who shall kindle fires upon any 

 of the forestry reservations of this Commonwealth, except in accor- 

 dance with such rules and regulations ass miay be prescribed by the 

 Forestry Reservation Commission, or who shall cut or remove any 

 timber whatever, or who shall do or cause to be done any act that 

 will damage forest lands or timber belonging to this Commonwealth, 

 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof be sub- 

 ject to a penalty of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than 

 five hundred dollars for each offence committed, with costs 

 of suit, which penalty and costs of suit shall be collected 

 in the same manner as is now provided by existing laws 



