acts defined and required; the board shall observe, keep in view, and, so far as it can, put in operation the best method to reforest cut-over and denuded lands, to forest waste and other lands, to prevent injury of forests by fire, the administering and care of forests on forestry principles, the encouragement of private owners in preserving and growing timber for commercial and manufacturing purposes, and the general conservation of forest tracts around the headwaters and on the water-sheds of all the water courses of the State, said board shall make reports of its work, con- Reports. clusions and recommendations to each session of the legislature, and from time to time publish, in a popular manner, and print for popular distribution, in bulletin or other form, such of its conclusions and recommendations as may be of immediate public interest; whenever it shall appear that the welfare of the state, with reference to reforestization and the betterment of state reservations, will be advanced by cutting or selling or disposing of any of the timber on forestry lands, the board is hereby empowered to cut and sell such timber on terms most advantageous to the State; and said board is hereby empowered to make or execute contracts in the name of the state for the carrying out of the purposes of this act; the board shall have power to employ such persons as are necessary for carrying out Employes. the provisions of this act and to fix their compensation. As to cuting timber. ting or sell or to cause fres or to cut timber. 4. Any person or persons who shall set, or cause Misdemeanto be set, any fire upon any of the forestry reservations of this state, except in accordance with such rules or regulations as may be prescribed by said board, or who shall set or cause to start any forest fire upon property near or adjoining any state forestry reservation whereby the timber of said reservation is damaged, or who shall cut or remove any timber whatever from any forestry reservation, except in accordance with the rules and regulations of the board, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and may be punished accordingly; all fines and penalties when collected shall be paid to the executive officer of said board, who is hereby directed to pay the same over to the state treasurer. 5. If said board, in its discretion, shall appoint any Fire fire wardens under section three of this act, all such ens. ward Title to rest in state. Maintain roads. Right of eminent domain. Action to establish forest reservation. Map. fire wardens, while in the performance of their duties, shall, within the territories of any forest reservations, have power to abate any nuisance existing therein; it shall be their duty, furthermore, to prevent and extinguish forest fires and to enforce the rules and regulations of the said board by arrest if necessary. 6. The title of all lands acquired by the state for forestry reservations shall be taken in the rame of the state, and all such forestry reservation lands shall be exempt from taxation from the time of their acquisition; in all cases where lands have been purchased, or may hereafter be purchased, by said board for forest reservations, where there are public roads, regularly established, running into or through said lands, said board, under such rules and regulations as the said board is hereby authorized to make, may expend such sum per mile in each year as said board shall deem wise for the maintenance, repair or extension of any such roads; all expenses that may be thus incurred shall be subject to the approval of the board and of the governor of the state, and shall be paid in the same manner as other expenses are provided for in this act. 7. No title or interest in any of said lands held by said board as aforesaid shall be subject to be taken by any body corporate, whether municipal or private corporation, or any person whatsoever possessing the power of eminent domain, by condemnation proceedings, in the exercise of said power of eminent domain against the said board or the state of New Jersey, as respects all lands or interests therein included in said reservations. 8. When it shall seem expedient and proper to the majority of said board that a forest park reservation be established in any portion of this state, it shall be the duty of this board to have proper surveys and a map thereof made of the lands about to be acquired, showing each portion of said tract owned by each different proprietor thereof, and of all persons, whether natural or bodies corporate, holding whatsoever estate, lien or interest therein; said map shall be filed with the secretary of the said board, and a certified copy of said map shall be filed with the county clerk or register of deeds of each county in which are situate any lands provements. Prior resoboard necessary. lution by to be taken for any particular forest park reservation; for the space of two years from the date of such filing any improvements made in said lands shall not be con- As to imsidered in the estimation of compensation or damages to be paid to said owner, lienor or such other persons who in said lands may hold an interest, if in the acquisition of said lands the said board shall be compelled to resort to condemnation proceedings; prior to filing of said map in the office of the secretary, said board shall, by a majority vote, pass a resolution stating its purpose to acquire all the land within the area by it desired to be converted into a forest park 1eservation; said resolution shall be spread in full upon the minutes of said board and signed by the president and attested by the secretary, and upon a failure of said board to adopt said resolution recorded and authenticated in the manner aforesaid, the filing of said map shall be null, void and of no effect whatever. of board. 9. There shall be a secretary to said board, who Secretary shall be elected by a majority of the board, whose term of office shall be three years from the date of his first appointment, his successor to be immediately appointed upon the expiration of his first term; the salary of said secretary shall be fixed by the board, payable in monthly installments upon warrant of the comptroller by the state treasurer; it shall be the duty of the said Duties. secretary to keep proper records of said board, and any copy of any record, under the seal of the board. signed by the secretary, shall be or the same evidential effect in all the courts of this state as an exemplified copy of any recorded deed, according to law as now constituted. 10. The governor shall be ex-officio president of officers of the board, and the state geologist shall be executive board. officer thereof; the three appointed members of the board shall serve without compensation, the expenses of the members of said board incurred in the business of the board shall be payable out of the treasury of the state on the certificate of any member certifying to the comptroller what expenses have been incurred; provided, the same is attested by the secretary. Proviso. II. The purchase money for lands acquired, and Expenses. all expenses incurred in said purchase, and all ex Proviso. Seal. penses incurred in connection with the management and holding of the state forestry reservations, shall be paid by the state treasurer from moneys in the state treasury not otherwise appropriated, on warrant of the comptroller upon vouchers certified by the secretary, duly approved by resolution of the board; provided, however, such sums shall not exceed the amount annually appropriated therefor by the legislature; all moneys received by said board from sources other than by legislative appropriations shall be paid into the state treasury. 12. Said board shall have an official seal, which seal shall bear inscribed on it "board of state forest reservation commissioners of the state of New Jersey," with some proper emblem therein, to be adopted by said board. 13. This act shall take effect immediately. Preamble. CHAPTER 48. An Act to authorize religious corporations, which have heretofore acquired lands in this state on condition for burial or cemetery purposes, to convey the same, in certain cases, to the municipal corporations wherein they are situated for the uses and purposes of public parks, and to authorize such municipal corporations to receive, hold and maintain and to embellish and improve the same for such uses and purposes. WHEREAS, Many religious corporations have heretofore acquired lands in this state on condition that the same should be used for burial or cemetery purposes, and for no other purpose; and in many such cases such corporations have either conveyed away most of such lands, or out of deference to public sentiment have ceased to dispose of the same, and the care of such burial-grounds, or cemetery, is a grievous burden to such corporations; and where such burial-grounds, or cemeteries, are in thickly-populated districts in growing cities they are a hindrance to the development of the neighborhood in which they are situated and a menace to the public health; therefore, BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: of burial municipali I. It shall be lawful for any religious corporation Conveyance which has heretofore acquired lands in this state for grounds to the uses and purposes of a burying or burial ground, ties. or for the uses of a cemetery, to grant and convey the same (or so much thereof as it still owns) in feesimple to the municipal authorities of the municipality in which the same may be situate for the uses and purposes of a public park or parks. 2. It shall be lawful for any municipal corporation Acceptance to receive, hold and maintain any lands so granted and and use. conveyed, and to embellish and improve the same, from time to time, for the uses and purposes of a public park or parks. Approved March 23, 1905. CHAPTER 49. An Act to authorize the conveyance to the "mayor and aldermen of the city of Paterson" of certain lands heretofore granted by the state of New Jersey for cemetery purposes, and to authorize the said "the mayor and aldermen of the city of Paterson" to accept and maintain the same as a public park or parks. WHEREAS, The state of New Jersey, by deed dated Preamble. March sixteenth, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-six, granted to the trustees of the First Presbyterian society of Paterson a tract of three acres in the town of Paterson, "for the use and purposes of a burying-ground, and for no other use or purpose whatso |