﻿Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Commission 
  9 
  

  

  utes. 
  This 
  condition 
  of 
  affairs 
  is 
  most 
  unjust; 
  if 
  John 
  Doe 
  oc- 
  

   cupies, 
  free 
  of 
  ground 
  rent, 
  a 
  beautiful 
  summer 
  home 
  upon 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  lakes 
  owned 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   New 
  York, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  Richard 
  Roe 
  should 
  not 
  receive 
  

   the 
  same 
  privilege. 
  Either 
  John 
  Doe 
  should 
  be 
  required 
  to 
  move 
  

   off 
  or 
  Richard 
  Roe 
  should 
  be 
  permitted 
  to 
  move 
  on 
  if 
  he 
  so 
  desires. 
  

  

  The 
  Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Commissioner 
  is 
  the 
  official 
  charged 
  

   with 
  the 
  responsibility 
  of 
  evicting 
  these 
  squatters, 
  but 
  the 
  interests 
  

   involved 
  are 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  he 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  required 
  to 
  act 
  with- 
  

   out 
  legislative 
  direction. 
  The 
  Legislature 
  should, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  

   take 
  immediate 
  steps 
  to 
  amend 
  the 
  Constitution 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  

   the 
  leasing 
  of 
  camp 
  sites 
  on 
  the 
  forest 
  preserve 
  lands 
  or 
  else 
  it 
  

   should, 
  by 
  resolution, 
  direct 
  the 
  Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Commis- 
  

   sioner 
  to 
  evict 
  all 
  squatters 
  without 
  delay, 
  regardless 
  of 
  the 
  

   consequences. 
  

  

  The 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Land 
  Purchasing 
  Board 
  are 
  a 
  unit 
  

   in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  to 
  continue 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  lands 
  

   in 
  the 
  forest 
  preserve 
  counties 
  a 
  different 
  policy 
  should 
  be 
  adopted 
  

   than 
  that 
  which 
  has 
  heretofore 
  been 
  in 
  vogue. 
  Except 
  recently 
  

   (and 
  in 
  the 
  Catskill 
  region 
  alone) 
  the 
  State 
  has 
  made 
  no 
  effort 
  

   to 
  seek 
  out 
  desirable 
  purchases 
  and 
  to 
  consummate 
  the 
  same, 
  but 
  

   has 
  depended 
  entirely 
  upon 
  voluntary 
  offers 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  has, 
  

   in 
  most 
  instances, 
  purchased 
  only 
  such 
  land 
  as 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  sold 
  

   to 
  any 
  one 
  else. 
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  sale 
  of 
  forest 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  

   has 
  been 
  hedged 
  around 
  with 
  so 
  much 
  red 
  tape 
  and 
  has 
  consumed 
  

   so 
  much 
  time 
  as 
  to 
  absolutely 
  discourage 
  vendors 
  from 
  offering 
  

   their 
  lands. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  board 
  believes 
  that 
  the 
  vendor 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  re- 
  

   quired 
  to 
  furnish 
  a 
  certified 
  county 
  clerk's 
  abstract 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  

   State 
  should 
  bear 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  searching 
  the 
  titles, 
  of 
  land, 
  the 
  

   purchase 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  considered. 
  Many 
  persons 
  absolutely 
  decline 
  

   to 
  offer 
  their 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  re- 
  

   quired 
  to 
  expend 
  a 
  considerable 
  sum 
  of 
  money 
  for 
  title 
  papers 
  

   with 
  no 
  assurance 
  that 
  the 
  title 
  will 
  prove 
  satisfactory 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  

   officials, 
  and 
  thus 
  many 
  advantageous 
  opportunities 
  for 
  purchase 
  

   are 
  lost. 
  

  

  