399 



A. Yes, sir; the increase in social clubs in the Adirondack region 

 has been very large; the quantity of land taken up by them is great, 

 and they can use, of course, hard wood forests just as well as they 

 can forest with merchantable timber on them; I suppose it affects the 

 value of all woodlands. 



Q. Do you know whether the State sold lands previous to 1883, 

 woodlands, and what the policy was with reference to that? 



A. I don't know whether they sold lands that they had bought in 

 for taxes other than by redemptions or cancellations. 



Mr. Fieho. — I am informed thai; is the case; the State went into the 

 market and sold its lands, and thus ran down the price of land there 

 very much; prior to 1883, when the act was first passed preventing 

 the State from selling lands, and I want to call attention to that act 

 of 1883 as being the first act which prohibited the sale. 



The Witness. — Train 'mentions that in our report as being the first? 



Q. Is there another element which has entered into the increase of 

 the value of land in the way of pulp ? 



A. I am so informed; the manufacturers of paper by the new pro- 

 cess; manufactured from wood. 



Q. The Hadley bill, so called, was that a bill prepared by the com- 

 mission or with which it had anything to do ? 



A. No, sir; we had nothing to do with it. 



Q. What was first done under that bill so far as relates to the 

 commission ? , 



A. The first application after the passage of that bill was Jolua Hurd. 



Q. Who was he ? 



A. John Hurd was a member of the firm of Hurd & Hotehkiss, who 

 were large lumbermen on the west side of the forest, the builder of 

 this Northern Adirondack road, the same man whom we had sued for 

 trespass and from whom we had collected a considerable sum of 

 money. 



Q. What was there with reference to that? 



A. Immediately after the passage of that act, which I always under- 

 stood was passed for his relief or for his benefit — 



Mr. Adams. — You understand the act of 1887 was procured by him? 



A. Tes; I so understand that it was promoted by him and certainly 

 his application followed directly on its passage; I was opposed to 

 taking any action under the act; the act was not mandatory, it was 

 permissive, and Hurd's operations, and the operations of his partners, 

 had been very destructive to the forests. 



Q. What were the views of the commission with regard to the 

 exchange of the lands which Hurd offered at that time ? 



