To the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York:

Your Committee on Insurance to which were referred communications on the subject of a bill which has been introduced in the Legislature of this state entitled "An Act to Promote the Health and Efficiency of Firemen in Cities of the First Class," begs to report and offers for adoption by the Chamber the following preamble and resolution, namely:

Whereas, There has been introduced in the Legislature of this state a bill (Senate Int. No. 184, Print No. 187) entitled "An Act to Promote the Health and Efficiency of Firemen in Cities of the First Class" the effect of which, if passed, would be to establish what is known as the Two Platoon System in the Fire Department of the City of New York; and

Whereas, This Chamber is officially informed that the Two Platoon System was experimentally applied to the Third Battalion of the Fire Department of the Borough of Manhattan for a period of eighty-one days beginning December 5, 1904, that the system was then discontinued upon reports by the then Chief of Department and Deputy Chiefs that it was demoralizing and dangerous to the discipline of the Fire Department and against the best interests of the city, and that the present Officers of the Fire Department responsible for its efficiency and discipline are opposed to the Two Platoon System on the same grounds; and

Whereas, This Chamber is vitally concerned in securing and maintaining the highest possible efficiency and discipline in the Fire Department of this city where the chances of a disastrous conflagration are great and ever present;

Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York protests against the enactment of this proposed law and the Secretary is instructed to transmit copies of this preamble and resolution to the Governor of the State of New York and to the Chairmen and members of the Cities' Committees of the Legislature.

The report and accompanying preamble and resolution were unanimously carried.

CONSERVATION OF STATE WATERS AND FORESTS.

CHARLES N. CHADWICK, Chairman of the Special Committee on Conservation, presented the following report, and moved its adoption:

To the Chamber of Commerce :

Your Committee on Conservation appointed in pursuance of a resolution, adopted by the Chamber at its January meeting, with instructions to investigate the problem of conservation of state waters, lands, forests, parks and hydraulic power, submits the following report:

The natural waters of the State of New York are the property of the people of the State of New York, to be conserved and used for their benefit. The state, as the trustee of the rights of the people and as their agent, is charged with the protection and control of this priceless birthright.

Its con

The use of water is two-fold,-potable and commercial. servation and development are secured through natural and artificial means; the forests, which control the seepage of the rainfall, also the streams and natural lakes are in general sufficient for the agricultural community; the municipality and other congested population districts are dependent upon artificial means; and the power of the state is needed to protect their interests through wise laws regarding the construction of storage reservoirs and aqueducts, the maintenance and regulation of stream flow and the commercial use of water.

Far sighted interests, perceiving the priceless value of water power for electrical energy upon which the people of the state in the future must depend in a large measure for light, heat and power, in the evolution of corporate control, seek to substitute private interest for the common good, and their corporate control as agent of the few for the state control as trustee of all the people. The transfer of the control of the state over its waters to these interests can be obtained only by the consent of the people themselves. To part with the right of eminent domain in this matter to quasi-public service corporations would be a careless gift of a priceless possession. The great danger is that of losing sight of the proposition as a whole in the confused mass of petty details.

That portion of the eastern slope of the Appalachian range which includes the Catskills, the Highlands and the Adirondacks, is destined in time to have an enormous population. This includes the Hudson River cities and towns, the Metropolitan District of Westchester County and the Greater New York. This great body of people will depend upon the conservation of the forests, the control and regulation of the rainfall and the purity of the streams for its supply of

water.

The subject demands broad treatment, with a clear purpose and full comprehension of the subordination of each part to the whole. The

important features considered in this report are the Statutes, Forestry, Power Development and Sanitation.

STATUTES.

Until the Constitutional Convention of 1894, legislation in the interest of the preservation of the forest preserves of the State of New York was under the pressure of private interests anxious to obtain control of the lumber and the water; because of this pressure and in order that the state might have control itself of these natural re sources for the benefit of the people as a whole, this convention adopted a policy of negation until the problem of conservation might be understood; and an amendment to Section 7, Article 7 of the Constitution, relating to the preservation of the forest preserves, was adopted as the fundamental law of the state for twenty years, i. e., until the next Constitutional Convention should be held. This amendment provided that

"The lands of the state now owned or hereafter acquired for forest preserves as now fixed by law shall be forever kept as wild forest lands, and shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed."

Amendments to this article have from time to time been introduced into the legislature, but have failed of passage. Meantime, through investigation and reports a great mass of data has been accumulated upon this question in the effort to adjust private interests with due recognition of state ownership and control.

As a contribution to the policy of constructive administration, a bill, known as the BURD Amendment, has been introduced in the legislature of the State of New York, proposing an amendment to Section 7, Article 7 of the Constitution. This was passed by the last legislature and will come before the legislature of 1913, and if it passes will be submitted to the people for a vote that fall. Should it be adopted, the legislature of 1914 can pass the necessary statutes to carry it into effect. This amendment to the Constitution provides

that

"The legislature may by general laws provide for the use of not exceeding three per centum of such lands for the construction and maintenance of reservoirs for municipal water supply, for the canals of the state and to regulate the flow of streams. Such reservoirs shall be constructed, owned and controlled by the state, but such work shall not be undertaken until after the boundaries and high flow lines thereof shall have been accurately surveyed and fixed, and after public notice, hearing and determination that such lands are required for such public use. The expense

of any such improvement shall be apportioned on the public and private property and municipalities benefited to the extent of the benefits received. Any such reservoirs shall always be operated by the state, and the legislature shall provide for a charge upon the property and municipalities benefited for a reasonable return to the state upon the value of the rights and property of the state used and the services of the state rendered, which shall be fixed for terms of not exceeding ten years and be readjustable at the end of any term. Unsanitary conditions shall not be created or continued by any such public works. A violation of any of the provisions of this section may be restrained at the suit of the people, or, with the consent of the Supreme Court in Appellate Division, on notice to the Attorney-General at the suit of any citizen."

Chapter 647, Laws of 1911, entitled "An Act relating to conservation of land, forests, waters, parks, hydraulic power, fish and game, constituting chapter sixty-five of the consolidated laws," created a Conservation Department with three divisions to

"be in charge of a commission to be known as the Conservation Commission, which**** shall have all the powers and be subject to all the duties of the forest purchasing board, the forest, fish and game commission or commissioner, the commissioners of water power on Black river and the state water supply commission as now fixed by law."

This commission consists of three members, appointed by the Governor, and is charged with the important duty of conservation of forests and streams of the State of New York.

An amendment introduced in 1907 proposed to give the legislature power to provide by law for the storage of water for public purposes and the construction of dams therefor. This the Chamber of Commerce opposed at that time, on the ground that it would throw too much responsibility upon the legislature to withstand the pressure of private interests, and it was defeated. The "BURD" amendment has sought to cover that point by limiting the amount of such lands to be used by the public, to three per centum of the entire forest preserves, which has been thought, after careful investigation, to be adequate. for the purpose desired and at the same time to protect the forests of the state under wise legislation.

FORESTRY.

The forest preserves, which were created in 1891, and known as National Forests, have been increased in area, and now include about 190,000,000 acres. The states are now recognizing their obligations by providing sufficient fire protection, by aiding private owners in

reforesting waste lands and by educating the public in the best methods of handling timber lands.

There are now twenty-three states that maintain active departments of forestry; of these twelve employ technical foresters in charge of all state forestry activities. At present about four-fifths of the timber lands of the country are in private hands, and because of the enormous increase of timber cutting, it becomes important that the principles of the theory and practice of forestry be actively applied to commercial lumbering operations. To this end it is necessary that private owners, the states and the federal government work harmoniously to a common end, instead of, as heretofore, independently of each other. The schools of forestry are graduating a body of high class men to lead in this movement,-men of capacity and enthusiasm. These schools are founded upon European models. By reason of the fact that they are separated from the business centers they are intended to serve, lumbering and operations in mills,-they have been so far, to some extent, perhaps more theoretical than practical.

The passage of the WEEKS' Law, authorizing the protection of forest lands which lie upon the watersheds of navigable streams, is of great importance, not only because of the direct results which will be obtained through the maintenance of national forests, but because it strengthens the whole policy of national forestry; it is a direct recognition of the interests of the public in the control of forest lands situated in mountain regions, and a recognition also that the participation of the public itself is necessary to secure this control and its proper handling.

To what extent forests influence stream flow, rainfall and erosion has been, and is a matter of some dispute. Undoubtedly the roots of trees make a natural storage reservoir, holding the humus and vegetative covering of the watershed, so controlling the run off and allowing it slowly to seep through the ground rather than run off rapidly. as in the case of an eroded watershed where there are no trees and no vegetative covering. The quantity of water in streams, and the regularity of flow is largely controlled by precipitation, character and condition of soil, underlying rock strata, temperature, vegetation and topography; these conditions vary greatly in different localities. The most important consideration, however, is the character and distribution of the rainfall.

In case of heavy rains or sudden thaws forests cannot prevent floods, but they do tend to diminish and control these floods, and while there is an amount of absorption which may possibly lessen the stream discharge in the course of a year, the water is more available by reason of the regulation of this discharge. It may safely be said that forests check erosion by converting surface run off into underground seepage.

The Adirondack and Catskill watersheds are indispensable possessions of the State of New York, as sources of potable water supply, and as conserving water flow and supplying timber. And as a great health and pleasure park, the people of the state have never made a