359 



Mr. Adams. — My suggestion was if the other side have anything 

 that they desire to put in evidence this evening, if this witness did 

 not come, to go on with it, and if the, committee is still holding the 

 investigation when this witness arrives, we will put him on ; if they 

 think it isn't worth their while to wait for him he won't be called. 



Mr. Fiebo. — Do the committee desire to proceed with Witnesses ? 



Chairman Ryan. — Tes, we are ready now to hear you. 



Mr. Fieko. — Mr. Burke. 



John H. Bubke, being duly sworn, testified as follows: 

 By Mr. Fiebo: 



Q. In what capacity are you connected with the forest commission? 



A. Inspector. 



Q. How long have you acted as inspector ? 



A. About two years. 



Q. What are your duties and the duties of inspector ? 



Q. My duties have been -principally outside, partly in the office and 

 partly outside. 



Q. State generally what they consisted of ? 



A. When notice is received at the office of a trespass — we are 

 receiving information from so many sources, from letters through 

 personal pique and such things that the first thing we proceed to do, 

 that usually falls to my part to ascertain what probable credence 

 should be given to the report, and by correspondence or in some such 

 way we ascertain who the person is who sends in the report and what 

 their relations are to the party against whom the report is made, and 

 in general ascertain whether or not there is likely to be a trespass 

 as reported and then — 



Q. (Interrupting.) Right here; what is the nature of very many of 

 those reports which come by letter to the office as to their being 

 reliable or otherwise? , 



A. Well, we have found — I have found that quite a good many of 



the reports are entirely unreliable; a man' may have some ill-will 



against his neighbor and hoping to get him into trouble will send in 



to the office reports of trespass, which, upon investigation, we find 



. there are none. 



Q. How do you investigate those matters before going into the 



woods ? 



A. There are many ways, you can sometimes ascertain by letter to 

 some reliable party that happens to be in the locality, whether there 

 is likely to be anything in that trespass or not ; if we can't do that we 

 go directly there. 



