42 FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



materially injure, delay, and perhaps prevent the construction of the reser- 

 voir. If so, what a useless situation. And why should not the constitu- 

 tional law be enforced as well when it affects large enterprises as when it 

 affects small ones? The same is true of the great project on the Saranac 

 river, begun by the Paul Smith Company. There, an investment of $400,000 

 is held up and rendered practically useless because of this unfortunate 

 situation. This condition of things does not appeal favorably to the good 

 common sense of people; it should not exist. 



The water power developed in this State is about 27 per cent, of all 

 that developed in the United States. That which is developed here, to 

 wit, about 500,000 water horse-power, is, excluding Niagara and the St. 

 Lawrence rivers, about half of all which we have. Why let more than 

 500,000 water horse-power, which money is waiting to develop, run to 

 waste? Why not employ the money and labor necessary to apply this 

 great power? Why should not the assessable property of the State be 

 increased by this amount? Why should not the State be receiving the 

 large annual revenue this utilized water horse-power would produce? Why 

 longer let it run away to the gray old sea, doing little or no good? It 

 seems to this Department that a change in the Constitution which would 

 allow proper management and use of these great natural resources, safe- 

 guarding all the interests of the State, would commend itself to everv 

 thoughtful person. 



Highlands of the Hudson 



Approximately 150 square miles of wild country, sparsely settled, are 

 situated back from the Hudson river shores in about equal areas, both east 

 and west, as the Hudson river flows through the Highlands, the northerly 

 limits as marked on the river being Cornwall on the west and Fishkill on 

 the east; the southerly limits being Dunderburg on the west, and the State 

 camp on the east. In this entire section are found only the villages of 

 Cold Spring, Garrison and Highland Falls, the two government posts of 

 West Point and Iona Island, and two properties of the State of New York, 

 namely, the State camp for militia instructions and the land recently pur- 

 chased by the State for a prison, to take the place of Sing Sing. It is an 

 historical section of our State. It is the region commonly known as the 



