The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-06
ADIRONDACK LAND SHARKS
METHODS ny WHICH THE STATE HAS
BEEN BUNCOED u OF LANDS.

Gov. Black Has q nil Awaiting His signature
by which the state Can Recover Possess
sion or from $50. TO roo. o Acres,
valued at over Half n Million Dollars.
ALBANY, May 5.-The Adirondack land sharks,
who have been prcying upon the state for years,
have at last been cornercd. These people have
for several years been unusually successful In
obtaining possession of lands acquired by the
State at tax sales. Many OF them formerly
lived in the northern counties, but tho business
of buncoing the State out OF lands in the Adj
rondacks acquired ut state tax sales became so
easy and immensely profitable that n number OF
them moved tho bass OF their operations to
Albany. Their time here has been spent in
hunting up tax sulcs in the state Comptrollcr's
office in which the least appearance Of n flaw
was evident whereby the state became tho
owner OF the land. Applications for cancella-
ton In bchalfo OF some person who was the owner
of the land at some time or other would follow
II the land was at all valuable.
Another method which the land sharks resort
to after a tax sale OF any valuable Adirondack
lands il to acquire the old fee of titles and thon
make application to the State Comptroller for
tho cancellation of the tax sale OF such lands.
Through various devices resorted to by these
Adirondack land brokers the State has lost pos
session of several hundred thousand acres OF
ahAhA IA a Nho o h"i &c VI Wv toa ~
reason OF the cancellation of tax sales by pre-.
vious State ComptrolIcrs. Comptroller James
A. Roberts has always claimed that many OF
these cancellations were made without warrant
OF law, but there was no way in which tho State
could again claim it's own.
When Gov. Black learned OF the situation.
which he discovered in the course OF his investi-
CATION OF the project to increase the States
holdings of lands in the Adirondacks, he set
about TO apply u remedy. Tho result was the
passage by the Legislature of a bill, introduced
by Senator Malby, which increases tho juris-
diction OF the State Comptroller over illegal
cancellations Of the sale of tax lands. This
will soon be signed by Gov. Black. 1t provides
that the State Comptroller Is thereby authorized
and empowered. and shall, upon the application
Of any one whomsocvcr aggrieved thereby, set
aside any cancellation OF sale made by him or by
any OF his predecessors In Office. where such cam
collation. was made upon an. application which
the Comptroller or any Of his predecessors in
office had no Jurisdiction or legal right to enter
tain at the timo Of such cancellation. Every
such cancellation set aside by the Comptroller
shall in every and all respects have the same
thereof had ever been made"
The result OF Gov. Black signing this bill will
be that the state can recover possession of from
$50 900 to 100000 acres OF land in the Adiron-
dacks which were lost through Illegal cancella-
tons. II is estimated that the value of the land
10 which the state can recover title is over half
favored portions Of the Adirondacks. and much
OF II is heavily timbered. Many parcels of this
land which the State will be able 10 recover have
ants and are exceedingly valuable.
The operation of the Malby law will be SO
beneficial TO the states interests that Comp
value OF the land which may be reclaimed by
the State.