Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-24

odlI udTsu ana Tue lduQS around
Humboldt Bay. ............................ 5000
Total 100 500 90
From August 1, 1884 to August l, 1856,
applications to purchase school lands to
the extent of 707 565.97 acres were received.
During the same time 720 patents were
issued covering 206, 1854. Fees collected
during the same period as Surveyor-Gen-
eral and paid into the State Treasury,
$751; %; as Register of State Land Office,
81, $50. Total, Sc, 266 %.
In supplemental form is given cor
rected report of Spanish and Mexican
grants in California, complete to February
%, 1886, prepared by the State Surveyor
General.
DELINQUENT INTEREST ON STATE LANDS.
Suits in foreclosure. says the Surveyor
General, instituted because of the nom
payment of the annual interest due on
State lands, are extremely expensive legal
proceedings; and long experience has DEM
onstrated that such suits invariably result
in loss rather than benefit to the interest of
the State. If the lands are of value the de-
linquent interest is always paid, even
though it often amounts to as much as the
principal. On the other hand, when the
lands revert to the State they are found to
be of no value whatever, and the State suf-
fers the loss of the expense of the suit in
foreclosure. During the last eighteen years
the Registers have sent out the delinquent
lists only seven times, though required to
do so annually.
l concur with the expressed opinion of
my predecessor, that the law should be
changed so as not to require the issuance of
delinquent lists oftener than once in four
years, or else fix limit to the cost OF fore
closure, so as not to absorb all the money
received by the State. The law of 1868
fixed limit to the amount payable in such
suits; but the costs now demanded are
generally much greater than the amount
collected by the State.
TIMBER LANDS.
l also have the honor to report that it is
my belief that all State lands, known to be
timbered lands, should be withheld from
sale entirely, and that a concurrent resolu-
ton should be adopted at the next session
of our Legislature, requesting our delegates
in Congress to endeavor to.secure the pas
sage of bill Withdrawing from sale all I'M
sold United States lands returned and
known to be timber lands.
make this recommendation because of
the fact that the denuding of the mountain
sides of their forests is reducing the amount
OF water III lne springs anu Warehouses;
along their sides, and rendering disastrous
floods possible by the too sudden precipita-
ton of the winter rains into the different
warehouses;.
STATE SCHOOL LANDS.
| would also recommend an examina-
ton, by such methods as the Legislature
may prescribe, of the remaining unsold
State school lands. with view of discover
ing their quality and gra ding their value,
in order that the lands may be sold at
an approximation of their true value, and
the school fund thereby be increased by a
much larger amount than it would be if
the lands were sold at the present price of
81 % an acre.
FIVE HUNDRED THousAND-ACRE GRANT.
would also recommend the adoption of
a concurrent resolution requesting our del
egates in Congress to use their best endeav
ors before the Department of the Interior
to secure the final settlement between the
State and the United States of the 500,-
000-acre grant, believing that there is still
baiuuce due the state of California of
some 10000 acres