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Sec. 2. Said bill or bills may be accompanied by a report explaining the pro- 
visions of such bill or bills, and giving the reasons for any of the provisions con- 
tained therein. The said bill or bills, together with such report, shall be printed 
by the State printer at the expense of the State in not more than five hundred 
copies, and shall be distributed to such persons as the governor may direct. 
Sec. 3. The said commissioners shall receive no compensation for their services, 
but shall be entitled to their actual and necessary expenses, including clerk hire, 
which expenses and clerk hire shall not, in the aggregate, exceed two hundred 
and fifty dollars, to be paid by the State treasurer upon warrants drawn by the 
secretary of State, upon verified statements made by the chairman of such com- 
mission. The superintendent of public property shall furnish such commission 
with the suitable and necessary stationery for the performance of such work. 
Src. 4. There is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury, not 
otherwise appropriated, a sufficient sum to carry out the provisions of this bill. 
Src. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage 
and publication. 
Approved April 14, 1897. 
The commission has sought the cooperation of this division, and a 
preliminary survey of the forest counties of the State, in co-operation 
with the State geological survey, is being made by timber experts 
upon whose researches the commission will base its report to the next 
legislature, as provided in the act above quoted. 
MINNESOTA. 
An effort was made during the legislative session of 1897 to secure 
the enactment of the following bill, which passed the house but failed 
to reach a vote in the senate. The bill is included here, notwith- 
standing its failure to become a law, because it embodies a novel and 
interesting method of securing to the State the benefits of a forest 
reservation : 
AN Act to encourage the growing and preservation of forests, and to create forest boards and 
forest reserve areas. 
(Sections 1 to 8 provide for the acquirement of forest reserve areas, the appoint- 
ment of a forestry board of nine members, who shall serve without pay other 
than the reimbursement of actual expenses incurred, and who skall have a sec- 
retary, and elect a president and vice-president. The State treasurer is made 
treasurer of the board, and county commissioners and town supervisors are made 
county and town forestry boards. The duties of the boards are defined, and the 
remainder of the bill, embracing its unique features, is as follows:) 
Sec. 9. Any person or corporation being the owner in fee simple of any cutover 
or denuded, or partially cutover or partially denuded, natural forest lands, which 
will not probably be utilized for many years for agricultural purposes, or any 
bare or waste, or partially bare or waste, rough prairie lands, or any very sandy, 
very rough or very rocky lands, in this State, or any lands deemed absolutely 
necessary for the preservation of water courses (all to be determined by said 
State forestry board) may deed the same to the State of Minnesota for forestry 
purposes; all lands so deeded to the State for foresty purposes by any person or 
corporation are hereby forever dedicated for forestry purposes. 
Before such deed shall be made and delivered, a proposition in writing shall be 
made by such owner or owners to said State forestry board to so deed the same 
for forestry purposes, under the terms of this act, and amendments thereof, 
made prior to such offer, and the question of the acceptance thereof shall be 
referred to the town or county forestry board where the land is situated (or both 
such town and county forestry boards) for its advice on the question of accepting 
the same; and said State forestry board, or its executive committee may hear the 
person offering so to deed, or his or her representative, and also may hear such 
town or county forestry board or its representative, both sides in person or by 
written reasons submitted, why such deed should or should not be received, and 
the decision of the State forestry board to receive or reject such offer and deed 
shall be final. Such deed may be made by quit claim, where by the advice of 
the attorney general, or by the advice of its attorney, if said board have one, 
said lands are clear of liens except for taxes and tax sales still owned by the 
State. 
