66 



• 



the duty of the Attorney-General to have acted as he has and 

 appraisers to approve as they have, and in all human probability 

 State would have been bound by the, action. But the commission* 

 looking forward to the interests of the State, said that 

 ought to be done only upon terms favorable to 

 state, and they provided for that in their resoluti 

 embodied that in their resolution, and because they did that, t 

 exchange has not been consummated, and it has not been consu 

 mated because of their care and foresight in this matter. It seems 

 me that that is just what this committee wants to know when tl 

 want to know in regard to the manner in which this is carried i 

 they want to know how carefully this work has been done by ■ 

 commission, and this is one of the things to show it 



Mr. Adams — A single observation, and that is this : If my exp< 

 ence is right, it is a very bad law, and the sooner it is remedied 1 

 better. Another observation: That when this forestry commiss 

 passed this resolution on the coming in of the offer to exchange, it < 

 all that it could do to affect it ; it exercised all the power that the stati 

 gave it, and to the furthest extent. They recommended the exchai 

 of the Franklin county land for the land about Piseco lake. Wl 

 they recommended that exchange and sent it with the petition to i 

 Comptroller's office, they had no further power. 



Mr. Fiebo. — And, further, nothing could be done unless it was 

 accordance with their resolution, which is provided that 26,000 ac 

 shall be secured. 



Mr. Hitt.— What is the question ? We have got a good ways from 



Mr. Fiebo. — The question is: Did the forest commission take t 

 action subsequent to the appraisal by way of recommending 1 

 exchange ? 



Mr. Adams. — My suggestion was that it was wholly immaterial a 

 foreign to the inquiry proposed by the resolution of the Legislate 



Mr. Hitt. — I am only one of the committee, and I do i 

 see what any subsequent action had to do with it. They had <3 

 charged their official duty when they made the recommendation, a 

 it went to the Comptroller, from there to the Attorney-General, ther 

 the appraisers, and then to the Comptroller. 



Chairman Evan. — It seems to me they had exhausted their f uncti 

 when they made that communication to the Comptroller. 



Mr. Fiebo.— If the committee is satisfied that that is .the true si 

 ation of affairs, I am satisfied. I wanted to bring it out by a sin] 

 question instead of doing so upon an argument, 



Chairman Stan. — Go on, counselor. 



