FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 281 



In the Monthly Bulletin of the New York State Department of Health 

 for February, 1909, the Commissioner, under the heading " The Bacterio- 

 logical Investigations of Shellfish Grounds," says: 



" The general survey comprises visits to the oyster beds and consulta- 

 tions with representative oyster growers and health officers in the vicinity 

 of Raritan, Jamaica, East Chester, Great South, Huntington, and Oyster 

 Bays, and in the district comprising Peconic Bay, Shelter Island Sound and 

 Gardiner's Bay. 



' The collection of samples was commenced the latter part of July and 

 continued until October first. 



" The total number of samples of all kinds examined was 332. Of 

 these, 128 were of water and 204 were of samples of oysters. In all 926 

 oysters were subjected to bacteriological examination. 



Comments upon the Results of the Sanitary Examinations and the Bacterio- 

 logical Investigations 

 "It is quite essential that there should be no misunderstanding as to 

 the magnitude and scope of the engineering field work properly included 

 under the conventional designation of ' Sanitary Survey,' and to the diffi- 

 culty of securing without more extended and full series of observations, 

 covering a wide range of physical phenomena, the data to make this survey 

 complete. 



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' What has been accomplished so far is, however, of a premanent 

 character, permanently recorded, and is of such a nature as to form a basis 

 of extended and more elaborate work that must inevitably be carried on 

 in the future if rational and consistent official action is to be taken according 

 to the provisions of the act. 



************* 



' The policy of the State Department of Health since 1905 has been 

 that further and unrestricted pollution of the waters of the State should 

 cease and, in so far as the Department had the power, the existing discharge 

 of raw and ineffectively treated sewage should as rapidly as possible be pro- 

 hibited. 



" Active work along these lines has been conducted by the State Depart- 

 ment of Health on Long Island since the passage of the law of 1903, and its 



