Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-28
PENNYPACKER'S
MESSAGE OF 1905
Governor Discusses Forestry, the
State Library and the
New Capitol
rENNyrAcKER ArropuoGRApu,->o. s,

FENNNfACkER AJTOBIOGRAPIIN-NO. GI
ftopVr0hi f9is, Jy pujlic Lcd1cr Compa,yl
TiiE state now owns j44.g5S acres of
land for forestry reservation purposes.
ana is under contract to purchase 1j4..
S63 acres more, making Il total of Ggg.
S21 acres. While it is continually add.
ing to its purchases for this purpose.
1t is 10y strange anomaly also contin.
ually making sales of lands at a merely
nominal price under old acts which have
never been repealed relating to the dis.
position of unscatcd lands. This legls.
Iation came into existence in the early
days of the province and State. when
Iahd was plcutcous and inhabitants were
rev. and was intended To encourage
settlements 10y Offering inducements TO
an coln"lS. That condition of things
mas long passed away and the lcgisln-
tion has been taken advantage of i'm
order to gct possession of valuable tracts
OI mineral lands and other property with
out an equivalent consideration. [ rec
ulhtncnd that legislation hc at once en-
acted that the Board of Property dispose
ui no lands belonging to the state until
thcy have been first examined by tho
commissioner of Forestry to ascertain
whether they are adapted for forestry pur.
poses, ana if found to be so fitted that
tlltN be retained for these purposes, and
mat when lands are sold by the Board
OF Property they be sold at public sale
To IN" highest bidder, The forestry lands
constitute a large domain. ana since they
nav" been purchased means ought to be
taken for their preservation and proper
Utilization. The only use to which they
nave heretofore been put, apart from the
cultivation of the trees. has been an OC.
caslonal lease for mining minerals and
IN" tuberculosis camp at Mont Alto.
where twenty-five patients are given the
opportunity for outdoor life with. | am
informed marked success. The efforts
for the preservation of the forests, the
game and the fish, all of which the
state has undertaken. seem to look to
the accomplishment of ends closely re.
lated, and it is well worthy of COnsid.
Grafton whether better results could not
be secured by a combination of them.
The fish propagate in the streams. the
streams traverse the forests, the game
for its life needs both stream and for
est. and all of them require the employ.
mcnt of watchmen and wardcrs.
Forest Fires
The greatest injury to the forest lands
arises through fire. | recommend as
one means of diminishing the loss
which comes from this cause that the
railroad corporations of the state and
those having railroad lines passing
through ii he required, under fixed PEN
atty and the payment of resultant dam.
ages, to put out all fires within 100 feet
of their tracks, except in municipalities.
No doubt, under its police power the
state could prevent the use Of fire as Il
danger and, if so. such an act which
would be in effect permitting the use
of fire upon condition, would probably
be held to he unconstitutional The
4t,a r 4,
creased by the fact that the lumbermen
and others when cutting down the trees
leave the strippngS and waste lying
upon the ground. These become dry
and form mass of light material. over
which the flames sweep. | recommend
the passage of a law requiring all persons
and corporations who may hereafter.
for any reason. fell forest timber. to
remove from the woods, when they take
away the lumber. all other parts of
the trees ana imposing a sufficient pen
atty in the event Of failure to comply.
1t is submitted for your consderation.
whether it would not he wise to deter
mine what sum should he expended each
year in the purchase of forest lands. so
that the commission may be relieved
from this serious responsibility.
During the last yCdr, 37I books and
pamphlets relating to Pennsylvania and
its literature during the period of the
development of her institutions have
been added 10 the State Library. Under
the direction of the present trained H.
hrarian the work of the library has been
systematizcd and improved and its bene-
fits to the community Correspondingly in.
creased. This library ought in time to
be repository of all the printed ma.
terial and manuscript relating to the
lit1rature, the laws, the history and the
political progress of the Commonwealth.
For the completion of its sets of laws,
"a N h
licaton of law reports, SO that at the
capital Of the State there may be a
sufficient opportunity for the study of
legislation and decision, a somewhat
larger appropriation appears to he neces-
sary. The Department of Public Records,
provided for at the last session. in con
nectiOn with the library, has been or
ganiZed and Is doing efficient work.
The archives upon which the foundations
of our history rest, and which up to the
present time have lain about the cellars
and out of the-way places, being gradu-
ally stolen, lost and destroyed have
been gathersl together and are now be-
ing repaired and permanently secured in
volumes chronologically arranged and
open to the investigations of scholars.
Twenty-Five such volumes have already
been completed. The information con-
tanned in them is much sought by per.
sons all over the country interested in
hereditary societies ana in research, and
much of the time Of the attendants Is
occupied in answering inquiries and sup
plying information. | suggest that the
librarian be directed to charge Il fee
of 81 for each certificate given and the
sums received he paid into the State
Treasury for the use of the Common
wealth In this way tie department will,
to certain extent. be made self-support.
ing.
The New Capitol
When the new Capitol is completed,
the building now occupied by the EXecu
tive will be abandoned by him. It's
erection in 1898 cost 100000 one.ninth
of the contemplated cost Of the Capitol
1t is commodiOus and i'm many WAYS
artistically constructed, and it presents a
good appearance To remove il would
seem to me TO be wasteful and unwise
/ recommend that it be utilized for the
library and that the sphere of the H.
brarian be enlarged and that he be au-
thorized and directed to collect and pre-
serve in it objects illustrating the fauna,