The Worthington advance., 1881-02-24

sold. About two-lifths of the unin-
habited portion, or one.fifth of the
whole state, is still unsurveyed, and
more than one-lifth of the timbered
region, or the equivalent of one.tenth
of all the land in the State is now
occupied by Indian reservations. 1t
is impossible to make even an approx
innate estimate of the value Of the
school land in the unsettled district.
The explorations for pine timber thus
far made have included about Id, 600
ac1 es. About $4,000 acres of the land
examined were found more or less
valuable for timber. The total sales
of timber from this land amount to
$373, 1000, and the value of the timber
remaining thereon is estimated at
Sill, 900, but when cut will probably
bring double this amount. The sales
of timber have been limited to the
region on the st. Croix and Mississippi
rivers and tn cir tributaries.
by act Of Congress of February %,
1850, the State became entitled to i'll
demnity for sections sixteen and thirty.
six III each township, in consequence
of reservations, prc-emptions and
from natural causes. Selections were
made some years since for deficiencies
in the old surveys, including the set
tied portions of the State. During the
last two years the plats of all the sur
veys have been examined and lists of
deficiencies made. The examinations
show deficiencies to the amount of
337, ,5ll acres, the selections made
amount to l24, 1897 acres, leaving 2l2,-
GA acres to be selected mostly in the
timbered land districts. A full years
labor has l'cen expended on these
lists; they have just been completed,
and the examinations for selection
have commenced.
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AND UNI
NERSlTl LAND.
AS the proceeds of these lands con-
stitute one fund, they may be classed
together. Under the agricultural
college grant, 4.439 acres were select.
ed, and 7::,706 acres were selected ,ul-
der the two university grants. IL total
of l87, III acres for the benefit Of the
State university: 14,774 acres OF the
first grant to the university were dis
posed Of by the regents ut an early
day, and the proceeds used to defray-
ing sundry expenses, 50 that only
about 10000 acres actually became
available for the university. About
one-half Of this quantity has been
sold, as shown i'll the several tabular
statements referring to these lands.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT LAND.
There have been 37,455 acres of
these lands sold during the last two
years, and the total sales now amount
to 1O3, 900 acres leaving $4,000 acres
Of the grant unsold, of which 35O,9S3
acres have been examined and ap-
praised. The proceeds of land and
timber sold with accured interest
amount to $s72l, IA, and the appraised
value of the land that has been ex-
amined is $1, ,808.00O. Estimating the
unappraised land at IS per acre the
present value of the entire grant in
round numbers is S2,750,000.
THE PUBLIC BUILDING LAND.
Under the act OF Congress author
izlng our State government, VIC re-
ceived ten sections of land ''for the
completion and erection Of public
bNildings,' which were selected in
kandiyohi county. Provision should
be made for their sale and for the in-
vestment of the proceeds until the
money may be needed in the erection
OF q capitol building.
STATE SWAMP LAND.
The grants made prior to the resid-
ttary grant for the benefit of soldiers
orphans amounted to 2.120,366 acres,
of which 1904, ,266 acres were earned
and ,O52, 204 acres have been convey
ed, leaving 242, 526 acres still due, from
which must be deducted 5,426 acres
earned ON the Madelia and Sioux Falls
road, but not found III place, making
the actual amount required to satisfy
the grants earned 237,52B acres. Of
this amount l00,695 acres is due the
Lake Superior and Mississippi railroad
company, but the State claims an offset
OF 4S, :2s24 acres OH account of swamp
land errOneOnsly conveyed ny the
general government OH its congrcssion.
Ill grant, which, if allowed, will reduce
the amount due the company to 52,4H
acres. Selections of So. l26 acres for
the Taylor's Falls branch have been
made in ranges II to 25 north of
Duluth, leaving 81, l,474 acres still due
OF the grant. There are also 47,2240
acres due and unsolicited on the St.
Paul & Chicago grant. There is ap.
parently unnecessary delay OH the
part of tile Lake Superior & Mississippi
and the St. Paul & Chicago companies
in making their final selections. and
obtaining an adjustment of their
grants. They have been requested to
complete their selections, and proba.
.bly will do SO ere long. These two
companies have taken the greater
part as well as the most valuable
of the swamp lands in tho state.
including everything Of value south of
the Northern Pacific railroad, besides
quite extensive selections made north
Of that road, along the north shore of
Lake Superior, by the l.. S. & NJ. COM
piny, and down the Red River valley
by the st. Paul & Chicago company.
Notwithstanding the residuary sol.
diers orphans grant, the legislature,
apparently ignoring it's sweeping pro.
visions, has since made other grants,
amounting to 52l, ,088 acres. If the
residuary grant is still operative, of
course all subsequent grants are void.
This is a question to be considered and
decided by this legislature, and upon
it's decision must depend the future
policy Of the State with reference to
the swamp lands. If the soldiers or.
phans' and the State institutions
grants are confirmed and perpetuated,
provisions should be made for explora-
ti0n; appraisals and sales of the land,
but if these grants are to he cancelled.