tions secured by the Palisades Park Commis¬ 
sion are upon the following conditions: 
“i. That in order that the Palisades Park 
Commission may carry out the proposed plan 
and receive and hold the land and money 
offered the State by Mrs. Harriman, its juris¬ 
diction shall be extended to the northward 
along the west bank of the Hudson River to 
Newburgh, and to the westward as far as and 
to include the Ramapo Mountains, giving the 
commission the same powers granted to it at 
the time it was created and at the time its 
jurisdiction was extended in 1906, including the 
right to condemn land for roadway and park 
purposes. 
“2. That the State of New York appropriate 
$2,500,000 to the use of the commission for the 
acquiring of land and the building of roads and 
general park purposes. 
“3. That the State discontinue the work on 
the new State prison located in Rockland 
county and relocate the prison where in the 
judgment of the Palisades Park Commission 
it will not interfere with the plans and pur¬ 
poses of the commission. 
“4. That in addition to the aforesaid appro¬ 
priation from the State, a further sum of $2,500,- 
000, including Mrs. Harriman’s pledge of a 
million dojlars, be secured on or before Jan. 
I, 1910. 
“5. That in addition to the above $5,000,000, 
the State of New Jersey appropriate such an 
amount as the Palisades Park Commission shah 
deem to be its fair share. 
'‘The private subscriptions, including Mrs. 
Harriman’s gift, already aggregate more than 
the sum of $2,500,000 stipulated, and I am 
informed that the commission has reasonable 
assurances with respect to a contribution from 
the State of New Jersey. 
“With regard to the other conditions it may 
be observed that in view of the service already 
performed by the Palisades Park Commission 
and its present jurisdiction, it is appropriate 
that its jurisdiction should be extended as de¬ 
sired. To this Mrs. Harriman assents. The 
act passed at the last session of the Legisla¬ 
ture to create a reservation in the Highlands of 
the Hudson should be amended or repealed, so 
as to avoid any conflict of authority. I may 
add that in the near future it may also be 
advisable to consider the desirability of proper 
measures to protect by suitable interstate action 
the watershed in northern New Jersey and in 
the adjoining part of this State, and that juris¬ 
diction for this purpose might properly be con¬ 
fined to the same commission. 
“It is also fitting that the location of the 
new State prison should not interfere with the 
execution of the plan, and that another site 
should be found therefor. A contract has not 
yet been let for the construction of the build¬ 
ing, and whatever loss may result from the 
change by reason of any work on the prison 
site cannot fairly be regarded as a sufficient 
objection in the light of the extent and pur¬ 
pose of these contributions. 
“I submit herewith the correspondence with 
the Palisades Park Commission in respect to 
its plans and these subscriptions, and I recom¬ 
mend that suitable action be taken in recogni¬ 
tion of these gifts and for their acceptance, 
for the enlargement of the jurisdiction of the 
commission and for the carrying out of its 
plans as proposed, including the change in the 
site of the new State prison. And I also rec¬ 
ommend that proper provision be made for an 
issue of bonds to provide the necessary mon¬ 
eys to be supplied by the State, and that this 
proposal be submitted to the people for their 
approval at the next general election. 
“We may thus at an early day secure the 
conservation of the natural beauty of the west 
bank of the Pludson River and the provision 
of a public park of inestimable advantage to 
the people, which will remain as a memorial 
of the generosity of the private contributors 
and of the value of enlightened co-operation 
between individuals and the State. 
The Forest Preserve. 
“So far as State appropriations are con¬ 
cerned, we confront an exigency in connection 
with acquisitions for the forest preserve similar 
to that existing in the case of the Highlands 
Fark. Our total holdings in the Adirondack 
and Catskill mountains now amount to 1.641.- 
523 acres, of which 52.549 acres were acquired 
during the past year. But the area of the pro¬ 
posed Adirondack Park is 3.313.564 acres, and 
that of the proposed Catskill Park 576,120 
acres, making a total of 3,889,684 acres. It is 
obvious that we cannot extend our holdings as 
the interests of the State require without larger 
outlays than annual appropriations permit. The 
State has decided upon its policy and it should 
be promptly executed. It is little short of 
absurd that this State with its great wealth 
should unnecessarily delay the securing of con¬ 
trol of these forest tracts, the preservation of 
which is of such vital importance to our contin¬ 
ued prosperity. The only businesslike method, 
having defcided upon the tracts to be acquired 
and the imperative necessity of their acquisi¬ 
tion, is to make the purchases as rapidly as 
possible without waiting for values to increase 
or risking the peril of further depredation. 
Peliance simply upon such resort as may be 
made to annual income, in view of the other 
demands upon the State, means purchases in 
driblets extending over a long period of years 
with a vastly increased outlay for many of the 
properties acquired and with the inevitable fail¬ 
ure of our forest policy in an important degree 
because of the want of prompt protection. Fur¬ 
ther, the outlay is for a capital investment for 
the benefit of the people of the State for all 
time and not in any sense for the ordinary 
expenses of government, and it is eminently 
proper that its cost should be distributed over 
a long period of years. 
Water Powers. 
“The Water Supply Commission is about to 
make a most important report of the result of 
its investigations under the act of 1907 relating 
to the development of the water powers of the 
State. An exhaustive examination, with the 
assistance of competent engineers, has been 
made of the Hudson, Genesee and Racquette 
river watersheds. Four great reservoir projects 
have been examined so as to furnish full detail 
with regard to location and design of dams and 
power plants, lands involved, cost and probable 
revenue and benefits. Additional studies have 
been made of other rivers which have impor¬ 
tance as sources of power. Facts with regard 
to existing powers, the relative importance of 
different streams and the probable results of 
additional development and the market for in¬ 
creased power have been carefully ascertained. 
“It is estimated, for example, that complete 
1 egulation of the Hudson River with the stor- • 
age required for that purpose would raise the 
present minimum flow of the river in a dry 
year from 900 cubic feet a second to a mini¬ 
mum of 4,000 cubic feet at Spier’s Falls, and that 
with this increased flow and with full advantage 
of all power possibilities, the present develop¬ 
ment could be increased by 246,000 horsepower. 
“The investigation has proceeded far enough 
to raise the question as to the action which 
should be taken by the State, and I commend 
this subject to your most’ careful consideration. 
The following principles should, I believe, be 
accepted: 
“1. That the flow of water in our rivers 
should be regulated and our water powers de¬ 
veloped to the fullest extent that may be prac¬ 
ticable. 
“This is essential to prevent unnecessary dam¬ 
age from floods and to insure our industrial 
progress and the future prosperity of our people. 
“2. That with respect to streams having their 
headwaters within the boundaries of the forest 
parks, all plans of regulation or power develop¬ 
ment should be executed only by the State, and 
all reservoirs and their appurtenances and the 
impounded waters should be the property of 
the State and under exclusive State control, 
and not be permitted to pass'into private hands. 
“Any such plan should embrace all necessary 
safeguards to insure the proper protection of 
the forests. 
“3. That with respect to any other streams 
flowing through any other public park or res¬ 
ervation of the State, such plans should like¬ 
wise be executed by the State, and it should 
retain exclusive ownership and control in order 
adequately to safeguard the State’s interests. 
“4. That futher, as it is of great public im¬ 
portance that the water powers of the State 
should be developed in a comprehensive man¬ 
ner and that these natural sources of industrial 
energy should not become the subject of an 
injurious private control, such development 
should be undertaken by the State whenever 
such action appears to be feasible and for the 
general interest. 
“5. That in any case of State development 
of water power provision should be made for 
the granting of such rights as may be proper 
to use the power so developed upon equitable 
terms and conditions. 
“6. That the State should not undertake any 
plan of regulation or water power development 
save upon a basis which would make its invest¬ 
ment a fair and reasonable one from the public 
standpoint by virtue of practicable measures for 
insuring such a return upon the State’s outlay as 
would be equitable in the particular circumstances. 
“7. That any amendment of the constitu¬ 
tion at this time for the purpose of permitting 
any portion of the forest reserve to be used 
for any such purpose should, by its terms, or 
by appropriate reference, suitably define the 
property within the preserve which is to be 
used and the manner of its use. No amend¬ 
ment and no plan of development should meet 
with any favor which, after the most rigid scru¬ 
tiny, does not afford absolute assurance that 
in no way will the public interest in the forests 
be parted with or jeopardized.” 
