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Sec. 2. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. 
Approved the 25th day of May, A. D. 1897. 
AN Act authorizing the purchase by the Commonwealth of unseated lands for the non-payment 
ot taxes for the purpose of creating a State forest reservation. 
Be it enacted, ete. : 
SECTION 1. That from and after the first day of January, Anno Domini one 
thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, whenever any unseated lands within 
this Commonwealth shall, under existing laws, become liable to sale by the 
respective county treasurers or the county commissioners for non-payment of 
taxes, it shall be the duty of such treasurers and commissioners to publish a 
notice once a week for six successive weeks in at least two newspapers of general 
circulation within the county in which the lands lie, and if two newspapers be 
not published in said county, then in one newspaper in or nearest to the same, 
which notice shall contain the names of the owners when known, the warrant, 
numbers, names of warrantees when known, the number of acres contained in 
each tract, the township in which the same is located, and the sums due upon 
each tract for taxes, and further to mail to the secretary of agriculture and the 
commissioner of forestry each, ten copies of such printed advertisement imme- 
diately upon the publication thereof. 
Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the commissioner of forestry to inquire into and 
examine the location and character of the lands so advertised, and if in his 
judgment the same are so located and are of such a character as to make them 
desirable to the Commonwealth for the purpose of creating and maintaining a 
forestry reservation, he shall have power, at his discretion, to purchase any such 
lands for and in behalf of the Commonwealth at such tax sales, subject to the 
right of redemption under existing laws: Provided, however, That the bid made, 
and the price paid tor said lands, shall in no case exceed the amount of taxes for 
the non-payment of which the same are being sold, and the costs. For all pur- 
chases so made in behalf of the Commonwealth, the auditor general shall draw 
his warrant upon the State treasurer to the order of the county treasurer, upon 
certificate filed by the commissioner of forestry with the said auditor general. 
Sec. 3. In the event of redemption of said lands, vhe redemption money paid 
shall be remitted to the State treasurer by the county treasurer, with astatement 
describing the tract of land so redeemed. 
Sec. 4. The title to all lands so purchased, and not redeemed after the expira- 
tion of the time limited for redemption, shall be taken as vested in the Common- 
wealth to the same extent and with like effect as though such purchase had 
been made by an individual at such sale, and the county treasurer shall certify 
to the secretary of agriculture lists of all lands purchased in behalf of the 
Commonwealth and not redeemed within the time limited for such redemption, 
with a description of each tract as required by section one of this act, and 
thereafter such lands shall not be subject to further taxation while the same are 
owned by the Commonwealth. It shall be the duty of the secretary of agricul- 
ture to keep a record in a book, to be especially provided for that purpose, of all 
the lands so acquired by the Commonwealth, with full description of each tract, 
the character of the same, the date of purchase, the price paid, when the title 
became absolute, or if redeemed, the date of redemption. 
Src. 5. The lands so acquired by the Commonwealth shall be under the control 
and management of the department of agriculture, but assigned to the care of 
the division of forestry, and shall become part of a forestry reservation system, 
having in view the preservation of the water supply at the sources of the rivers 
of the State, and for the protection of the people of the Commonwealth and 
their property from destructive floods. 
' Sec. 6. All acts and parts of acts Inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. 
Approved the 30th day of March A. D. 1897. 
AN Act to secure State forestry reservations, and providing for the expenses thereof. 
Be it enacted, etc. : : 
Section 1. That a commission, to be composed of the commissioner of forestry, 
the chairman of the State board of health, the deputy secretary of internal affairs, 
and two other persons, one of whom shall be a lawyer or conveyancer of at least 
ten years professional experience and the other one a practical surveyor, to be 
appointed by the governor, be hereby created. 
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