391 



have been advisory or executory, state with reference to that, if you 

 will? 



A. Our duties have been both advisory and executory; it has been 

 stated that the office is one of honor and no profit, and that is a fact; 

 we have never received any salaries, and in the transaction of business 

 and the arrangement of meetings, Mr. Cox being a man out of business, 

 of leisure, and Mr. Basselin and myself being in active business, 

 it became more convenient to have the meetings in New York; at first 

 we arranged to have a meeting on the second Wednesday, I think, of 

 every month; that was our rule; we adhered to it as far as we could, 

 but it became impractical to carry that plan out; the meetings were 

 called by the secretary and open notices sent from the Albany office 

 to the different members of the pommission; in many cases it was 

 found that it was inconvenient for members to be present and then 

 either by letter or by telegram, the arrangement for a meeting was 

 countermanded; the only formality observed was in the secretary 

 sending a notice to each one of the commissioners. 



Q. It happened at different times different members of the commis- 

 sion were unable to be present ? 



A. It frequently happened so and a new arrangement was made; 

 in some cases men were absent on account of sickness; I remember 

 on several occasions when the meetings were prevented in that way. 



Q. With reference to the formality or otherwise in the transaction 

 of business? 



A There was no order of business except the reading of the min- 

 utes ; .that was sometimes dispensed with ; the secretary had his 

 budget of matters which he brought on one after the other and we 

 discussed them and passed upon them; I don't think — I am speaking 

 now from my recollection — I don't think that during the five years, 

 and in the eighty-nine or ninety meetings which we have held during 

 that time, I should say very few matters were discussed and passed 

 upon, on which there could, by any possibility, be difference of opin- 

 ion; most of those matters were routine matters and the action of the 

 commission was harmonious and unanimous; I can't recall at this 

 moment, with one exception, any difference of opinion; the discussion 

 of matters connected with the annual report, the adoption of the 

 report, the appointment of foresters, the prosecution of trespassers, 

 the enforcement of regulations in regard to fires, were matters on 

 which there was and could be no difference of opinion. 



Q. What do you say in reference to your personal relations toward 

 the other commissioners ? 



