587 



that when the State came into the market or was expected to come 

 into the market as a bidder for these lands, they immediately enhanced 

 in value, because every one knew that the State would be a good- 

 customer in case it desired to acquire land for park purposes 



In view of this fact the acquisition of 63,000 acres during the period 

 of six years is a very handsome showing, indeed, on behalf of the 

 forest commission in tha't direction. Very much more land would 

 have been acquired during that period had it not been a rule of the 

 Comptroller's office with regard to cancellations; the evidence show- 

 ing that the policy of that office had been previous to the time the 

 forest commission came in existence, to allow each person to pay up 

 and take the lands for which they were taxed, and that it was thought 

 very desirable to do that up to the time the forest commission' took 

 charge of the matter, After that another policy was inaugurated and 

 the forest, commission were thereafter represented upon cancellations, 

 and thousands of acres were saved to the State by reason of the fact 

 that the matter was looked after on behalf of the State through the 

 forest commission. 



In the next place, the work of the organization and setting in 

 motion the machinery of this commission, which was entirely new, was 

 a work of considerable importance and of a great deal of difficulty. 

 It must be remembered that the work of the forest commission in this 

 country is something which is not thoroughly understood, and which 

 was an individual- experiment up to 1885, when the forest commission 

 was instituted. For methods of work, for precedents, for the charac- 

 ter of the force, for the lines upon which the work was to be per- 

 formed, it was necessary to look to the countries of continental Europe 

 where forestry has been a science. .That was one of the duties that 

 has devolved upon this commission, and it appears by the evidence 

 how thoroughly that work has been done. •■ 



In the next place, the matter of trespasses at the time the forest 

 commission took charge was a very serious one. I will not stop 

 to discuss that question because the evidence is before you, but it is 

 unquestioned, as it is unquestionable, that from that period trespasses 

 became fewer and fewer until they have almost ceased. Criticism hag , 

 been made that but little money had been recently collected by 

 reason of trespasses. As a matter of fact that proves that the forest 

 commission has in that respect discharged its full duty and has been 

 most useful, because the less money collected from trespasses, the 

 more effective is the prevention. The business, of the forest commis-> 

 sion is not to collect money for the depredations upon lands, the object 

 of the commission is to prevent depredations. When it came into 



