Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-01-29
NQREHBRy TRIBUNE ggl NE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 70, 1875.


n.dAS.Aas.s uo1,.1 j IL G
Our outline sketches of the various de-
partments located at the capital are con-
cluded below:
STATE LANDoFFICE. :.
L..A1elapp sf6entsrvills' St.,'1 Rew
county, Is commissioner, a"u = ,hs nrss-
N of CoIdwater is deputy. AT the pres,
~. zine there are ten clerks empioyeu
nr5;s denartrnent has Lchafge of all the
various kinds of state lands, and the pat
ants or other evidences of title to the
anne. During the past year, ILL., 400
acres of state land were disposed Of
These lands were in parcels Of forty acres
up to several hundred acres. For every
purchase made, certificates were issued to
the purchasers, and where full paid, the
purchaser is entitled to O patent to De is-
sued by the Secretary Of State. But
where lands are only part paid, a ledger
account Is opened with the purchaser,
and the books of this Office now show up
Wards Of 1000 opehDaccouutsJ The
amount still due the. state on these &C
counts Is about 8, 100000.
This Office has charge of the field notes.
plats, and all other records Of the U. >.
when application is made. During the
past year, besides many private applica-
lions, complete field notes and plats OF
six counties have been furnished. This
alone required a vast amount of work, as
q complete transcriptof the entire survey
Is given. = IL
This Office also keeps an account with
, each state-road contractor, and also with
the holders Of state scrip. Of these there
ARE about 500 open accounts.
?. The collection Of interest on the LOCO
open accounts with purchasers of part
paid lands. mentioned above, is no small
item. The office also keeps record of all
part-paid lands which are returned for
non-psyment of taxes, and receives all
taxes paid thereafter on such lands.
Every six mouths list of these lands and
the amount Of taxes paid is furnished to
each county treasurer; and at the close Of
each year q list of all land sold during the
year is furnished the various counties.
Abstracts Of sales are also furnished to
private parties when desired. This de-
partment furnishes annually to all coun-
ty treasurers, who file their bonds to re-
ceive interest on part-paid lands in their
respective counties, together with state
ment Of the amount due the state on each
description. Lists Of all lands that have
been forfeited for non-payment of inter-
est are sent annually to the supervisors,
70 be examined and appraised before be-
ing resold. ,11 .tH,
This office has the general supervision
Of the examination of, vacant and part
paid state lands, and Of all prosecutions
:. and settlements for trespass On the. same.
A full and nicely arranged abstract of
all state laHds is nearly complete, for the
use of the office. This has been an enor-
nous work, when we consider that every
description of state land is fully shown.
During the year about 5000 letters
have been received, and givenrthe proper
attention and 82S certificates of purchase,
and SIS licenses to homestead settlers,
have been issued.
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
d. B. Briggs Of Romeo is superinten-
dent and @. B. Stebbins of Lansing, dep
uty. Batone clerk was kept portion
of the wear. ~ -
The correspondence Of this office Is
highly impOrtant. Letters are received
daily from school officers of every grade,
teachers. and others, for Instruction in
their duties, explanation of the law, set
Element of disputes, etc. No effective
oversight can be had without frequent in
tercourse with school officers. This Is
carried on to large extent by circular
letters, and furnishing blanks for neces-
sary statistics. The blanks sent yearly
for The reports Of directors and inspectors
number about 24000. The number sent
TO township superintendents, for statis-
tics to be furnished by theln., during the
four months of the past year after they
entered upon their official duties. was
1900. They were also furnished with
blanks for teachers certificates. Blanks
forlsfatistiesro t graded, schools We're also
sent to the Officers of-all those schools.
Circular letters Of instruction, inquiry,
etc. 1000 or more }, were sent from time
to time, to county, township, and district
Z Tie return an flthsse btsnks in the form
q of official reports is the foundation Tor
heavy work IN hsures IN this Offices The
directors reports contain some thirty-six
items, the aggregate amounting to nearly
100000 items. From one-half to two
thirds of those are compared item by item
with the same thing in the directors re-
ports and numerous errors corrected.
The inspectors reports contain. OH an av-
erage, statisti q of about six districts each.
These are added giving the statistics for
each township. These fOotings are then
added together by counties, showing the
aggregate for the counties, and these adj
ded give the total for the state. Several
of these footings at the close of the work
reach into millions. The adding up, and
preparation for publication of the town.
ship superintendents' reports, also in.
, volve considerable labor. .n~fy 49,
The result of ali this labor fills bat q
few pages in the annual report OF the de-
partment; but in these statistics can be
seen, as nowhere else, the condition and
progress of the schools in the state, and
on these figures depends the apportion-
ment each year Of over S20O,00O of pri-
mary school money. This fund, which
amounted last year to 2l7,39S, is appOr-
toned in May of each year to the several
townships, now nearly 1000 in number.
In such Sims as they are shownby there
ports to be entitled TO-. eAauount
for the townships in the several counties
is reported to the county clerks, and it is
divided to the districts by the township
clerks. This created considerable CORES
-pondence with school officers i'm relation
TO districts whose claim to the school
money is doubtful. This apportionment
of school moneys is all the connection the
department has with the public funds !;
: aud neither, These, or any other moneys
pass through the hands of the 4snperin7
tendent
The law requires all literary institu-
tons in the stateyto report annually 10
this department. These reports from the
university, normal school. agricultural
college, reform school, state public scnool
and local colleges, are embodied in the
annual report of the superintendent, OF
,fDt.1