FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 35 



organization of the force of firewardens. He has visited the various towns in which 

 vacancies had occurred and secured competent, desirable men to fill these places, a 

 task somewhat difficult, as the position offers no inducements. He has also 

 arranged with the firewardens of the larger forest towns for a division of the terri- 

 tory into districts of suitable size and location, and, also, for the appointment of 

 good men to act as district firewardens. It is confidently expected that the good 

 results of his work will be apparent in a marked decrease in both the number and 

 area of forest fires. 



As there are 758 town and district firewardens in the Adirondack and Catskill 

 regions, it is evident that the proper organization and supervision of this large force 

 of officials necessitates a large amount of work on the part of the Chief Firewarden. 



• Trespasser ctnd Timber Tl)ieves. 



During the fiscal year ending October i, 1900, forty-six different actions for tim- 

 ber stealing, including some unintentional trespasses, were successfully prosecuted 

 and the penalties collected. These fines amounted in the aggregate to §2,207.76. 

 In addition to this sum $378.82 was received for the sale of logs which were seized 

 and sold, the timber having been stolen from State lands. The fines imposed varied 

 from §10 to §208.10; and in one case of timber cutting, which occurred on Town- 

 ship 17, Hamilton county, the sum of §550 was paid in settlement of the trespass. 



Some of the amounts collected were the result of prosecutions commenced 

 before the beginning of the fiscal year; and, again, several prosecutions are now 

 pending, in which the penalties have not yet been collected. 



The most of these trespasses occurred along the borders of the forest, and were 

 due to the petty thieving of a class of men who resort to this method of obtaining 

 money whenever they think they can do so Avithout detection. During the last 

 year no timber cutting has been done on State lands by any of the lumbermen, 

 except in one instance, in which the defendant claimed that there were no lines 

 showing the State boundary. He w"as fined, however, an amount equivalent to 

 three times the value of the timber taken, as it was his dutv to know where his own 

 line ran, even if the State boundary was not marked. Very little trespassing in the 

 way of timber cutting is done in the main forest, as there is no resident population 

 there ; and the lumbermen of late years have been very careful to have their lines 

 marked by competent surveyors, thus avoiding trouble with the State. 



In some instances trespasses are committed by persons who claim title to land, 

 and when prosecuted they put in a defense accordingly ; but in each of these cases 



