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FOREST AND STREAM. 
618 
New York Legislature. 
The Assembly has passed the bill of Assem¬ 
blyman Shea, bringing within the protection af¬ 
forded the plumage of native wild birds the 
plumage of birds from without the State. 
Governor Hughes on April 6 signed the bill 
of Mr. Merritt, appropriating $10,000 for the 
State Forest, Fish and Game Commission to re¬ 
forest denuded lands. The commission may sell 
trees under proper restrictions to citizens of the 
State for reforesting land. 
BILLS INTRODUCED. 
By Assemblyman Fowler, providing that upon 
the adoption by a vote of the people of an 
amendment to Article VII. Section 7, of the 
Constitution, which shall give this act effect (the 
Merritt water storage amendment), dams and 
reservoirs may be constructed for the storage of 
water upon the following watersheds and at or 
near the following places: Schroon, Tumble 
Head Falls; Saranac, Lower Saranac Lake, 
Franklin Falls and Union Falls; Black River, 
Kenwells and Beaver Flow; Oswegatchie, Cran¬ 
berry Lake; Raquette, Tupper Lake, Forked 
Lake; North Salmon, Titusville, Ausable, Cherry 
Patch Pond. The construction of dams and 
reservoirs and water storage is to constitute the 
first stage. The second stage is to be similarly 
provided for by the construction of dams and 
reservoirs upon the following watersheds and at 
or near the following places: Hudson, Cedar 
River and Indian River; Sacandaga, Piseco Lake 
or Arietta flow and Lakes Pleasant and Sacan¬ 
daga; Schroon, Blue Ridge, Schroon Falls; in 
the Saranac, Upper Saranac Lake; Black River, 
Hawkinsville; Raquette, Long Lake; East Can¬ 
ada Creek, Powley; West Canada Creek, South 
Branch and First Stillwater. Private land may 
be taken by agreement with the owners as to the 
price to be paid for it or by condemnation. For 
transmitting power and electrical energy gener¬ 
ated by the waters stored under the provisions 
of the act, transmission lines may be constructed 
by the State upon, under or over the lands of the 
State. The storage of water under this proposed 
act is declared to be subject to the provisions of 
Chapter_of the Laws of 1910. The number 
of the chapter is not filled in. The presumption 
is that the intention of the introducer is to pass 
the Fowler bill Int. 1304, amending the State 
Boards and Commissions Law before this bill 
is passed, and then to insert the chapter number 
of the amendment to the State Boards and Com¬ 
missions Law. 
Amending the State Boards and Commissions 
Law by broadening the jurisdiction of the State 
Water Supply Commission over the improvement 
of water courses. 
Providing for the conservation, development 
and regulation of the water resources of the 
State under the direction of the State Water 
Supply Commission and the Governor. 
By Senator Cobb, a concurrent resolution pro¬ 
posing an amendment to the Constitution ^ (Sec¬ 
tion 7 Article VII.) in relation to the provisions 
that the forest lands are to be forever kept as 
wild forest lands. It provides that these pro¬ 
visions may be modified as provided in Chapter 
of the Laws of 1910 as to the use of State 
lands for water storage. (This chapter number 
is left blank for the Cobb-Fowler water stor¬ 
age bill.) 
Providing for the development of water stor¬ 
age within the forest preserve of the State. The 
same bill has been introduced by Assemblyman 
Fowler this w'eek. 
By Assemblyman Pitkin, providing that there 
shall be no open season for woodcock in the 
town of Lyme, Jefferson county, until 1915. 
By Senator Agnew, limiting to fish the posses¬ 
sion of game by a dealer during the closed sea¬ 
son. 
By Assemblyman Reed, relating to fishing in 
certain lakes. 
By Assemblyman Sullivan, of Chautauqua— 
Providing an open season from April 1 to April 
30 for Wilson or English snipe in the towns of 
Chautauqua and Erie counties adjacent to Lake 
Erie. 
By Senator Hill—Establishing an open season 
from Sept. t6 to March 31 for fish-eating water- 
fowl, commonly known as merganser, coween, 
whistler, coot and cormorant. The bill prohibits 
taking of such fowl between sunset and sunrise. 
By Assemblyman Baumes and Senator Rose— 
Relating to the use of nets in the Delaware. 
By Assemblyman Whitney—Relating to perch 
in Saratoga county. 
By Assemblyman Colne, creating a commis¬ 
sion to conduct a water congress and exhibition 
in New York city. The commission is to be 
composed of one Senator, two Assemblymen and 
at least four and not more than twelve other 
citizens, to be appointed by the Governor and 
to serve without pay. The purpose of the con¬ 
gress and exhibition is to be discussion of all 
phases of the water question, such as the water 
supply of cities, pollution of streams, develop¬ 
ment of waterpower, etc. The commission is to 
report to the Governor whether in its opinion it 
is to the interest of the State to encourage per¬ 
manent water exhibitions as departments of 
museums. The congress and exhibition is to be 
held within one year. The bill carries an appro¬ 
priation of $10,000. 
By Assemblyman M. Smith, making the open 
season for lake trout in Dutchess county April 
i-Aug. 31. 
By Assemblyman Lupton, relating to game 
birds on Robbins Island. 
By Assemblyman Brinerd, relating to ferrets. 
By Assemblyman Vosburgh, relating to hares 
in Fulton county. 
By Senator Coats and Asemblyman Shea, mak¬ 
ing more stringent provisions against the setting 
of forest fires. 
The Assembly forest, fish and game commit¬ 
tee has reported favorably this bill: Assembly- 
man Youngs’, relating tornets in the Hudson and 
Delaware rivers. 
The Assembly has advanced to third reading 
these bills: 
Assemblyman Wieland’s, making the open sea¬ 
son for woodcock on Long Island Oct. 15-Dec. 
31- 
Assemblyman Wood’s, relating to the St. Law¬ 
rence reservation. 
Assemblyman Reed’s, relating to lakq trout in 
Owasco Lake. 
Assemblyman Thompson’s, relating to oyster 
planting in Great South Bay. 
Sea Ducks. 
Boston, Mass., April 9 .— Editor Forest and 
Stream: On April 5, H. Bill 395, to allow the 
shooting of whistlers, sheldrakes, coots and 
brant till May 20, was considered in the House, 
the question being on ordering it to third reading. 
[April 16, 1910. 
Chairman Ellis explained that the bill had been 
reported unanimously by the committee and had 
passed the Senate, and after presenting some 
reasons why the committee favored the bill, he 
gave way to Mr. Gifford, of Westport, the au¬ 
thor of the bill, who made an eloquent plea for 
the measure as being in the interest of many 
gunners who had been accustomed to kill these 
birds to supply food for their tables. He said 
that although not marketable away from the 
coast, they are’ edible and are really a necessity 
to many poor people of his own and many other 
coast towns; that they have used them for food 
ever since the country was settled, and that to 
be deprived of them is a hardship upon a good 
many people. “The birds were made for man 
and not man for the birds,” he said. Represen¬ 
tatives Perry and Pattee spoke pointedly and 
earnestly in behalf of the bill. 
Several members spoke against the bill on the 
ground that no spring shooting should be al¬ 
lowed, putting forward the usual arguments 
against it, but perhaps the objection that carried 
as much weight as any was that the law of last 
year had not been on the books long enough to 
give it a fair trial. By a vote of 85 to 122 the 
bill was defeated on a roll call. 
Henry H. Kimball. 
Commercializing the Adirondacks. 
The judiciary committee of the Assembly at 
Albany, New York, reported April 7 Mr. Mer¬ 
ritt’s concurrent resolution proposing a constitu¬ 
tional amendment which should permit the use 
and disposition of lands in the forest preserve. 
The proposition originally included the sale of 
timber on the public lands, the building of high¬ 
ways across the State park, the leasing of camp 
sites, the sale of lands outside of the Adirondack 
and Catskill preserve and the storage of water 
within the State park. All these measures have 
been spoken of in Forest and Stream and are 
strongly opposed by most persons interested in 
the Adirondacks. 
The judiciary committee has taken from the 
concurrent resolution the privilege to sell timber 
on the public lands, to construct highways in the 
forest, to permit the leasing of camps under re¬ 
strictions and the sale of lands outside the Adi¬ 
rondacks and Catskill preserves. It retains, how¬ 
ever, the privilege of water storage, and declares 
that the retention of this change is intended to 
correct the terms of the constitution which pre¬ 
vent the development of water power. 
After all, the main objects sought by lumber 
companies and power corporations is the privi¬ 
lege of storing water on the public lands, and 
to use this public park to increase their private 
gains. The park was not set apart for such a 
purpose and should not be used for it. Ill- 
natured people have suggested that Mr. Mer¬ 
ritt’s resolution .contained half a dozen alarm¬ 
ing provisions of no special interest to the poli¬ 
ticians and corporations, the notion being that 
these alarming provisions should all be cut out 
except the important one, and that the public 
would thus imagine that it had won a great vic¬ 
tory. 
In the opinion of most outdoor people the 
privilege of storing the water is bad as are also 
the privileges permitting the leasing of camps 
and the building of highways across the State’s 
holdings. That the dead timber should be 
utilized—provided always its gathering can be 
properly safeguarded—is quite clear. 
