341 



Q. Why didn't you go up oftener? 



A. It costs a good deal of money to go up in the Adirondacks; I 

 never went up there but -what before my trip was half way through I 

 had to borrow money to get back. 



Q. Don't the State pay your expenses ? 



A. Yes, sir; but I only use up what we are allowed; we tried to fix 

 it so that no commissioner would spend more than a $1,000 a year, 

 and I have been running for the last two years up to $1,500; down at 

 the Catskills it doesn't cost so much; I can get around there at a very 

 moderate price; I know on this trip I spoke of where we were invited 

 guests, I was there about two weeks and had everything I wanted, 

 and it cost me one dollar and ninety-nine cents for two weeks; I had 

 everything, lager and everything. 



Q. Who furnished all that? 



A. The supervisors. 



Q. All the " pr.ovender " in the bottom of those wagons? 



A. Tes, sir; the supervisors; they were a splendid lot of men. 



By Mr. Davie: 

 Q. The commission were in perfect harmony so far as the Catskill 

 region was concerned? 



A. Yes, sir; there was nothing but harmony. 



By Chairman Eyan: 



Q. When you assumed the duties of your office what did you 

 understand they were? 



A. The commissioners' duties were to see that the lands belonging 

 to the State in the forest preserve were properly protected by the, men 

 that we appointed foresters; you will please understand that I think 

 we had but a beggarly number (fifteen) allowed us to take care of 

 fifteen counties, but it was our duty to have the forest preserve 

 policed as far as it was possible by the limited number of men we had 

 to save trespassing; I have talked with nearly everybody in New York 

 or in Albany, and all over, in regard to forest preservation, and I am 

 very well pleased in regard to it; I believe when this commission was 

 appointed and took charge of affairs at least a $100,000 worth of 

 timber a year was stolen off of the State land by the people living 

 there; I have never yet seen anybody who lived up there that didn't 

 think and feel that it was one of the things they should do was to 

 cut timber on State land and use it and sell it; I have known of 

 Methodist clergymen — I will not say Methodist — that thought it was 

 no wrong, during the week,, to cut the timber on forest land and sell 

 it; for years I think there was $100,000 worth being taken; it was our 



