Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-25
RAILROAD LANDS.
FURTHER REVIEW OF C. p. r. r.
DIRECTORS REPORT.
Why Railroad Lands are not Pat
ented = The Resulting Irjury
from Government Neglect.

Resuming our synoptical presentation of
the report of the Directors of the Central
Pacific Railroad Company for the year
1887. we find the amount of land sales and
interest collected for 1887 to amount to
$4Sl SAL 49, For 1886 the sum was 1874
4l2 50. Thus the increase was S107 l29 46.
The cash receipts from trust lands were
$3.50 1872 %; for 1886, $367,6l4 43. The
Trustees of the land grant mortgage re-
deemed 1903, 900 in bonds at a cost OF $685.
| 262 So The bonds cannot now be pur-
! chased except at premium, and the funds
on hand have therefore been deposited in
the treasury of the company as collateral
security; therefor the Trustees have re-
ceived $500 600 of the c. P r. R. fifty-year
| bonds of 1886
| At this point we turn to the attached re-
| port of the Land Agent and ascertain from
it that there were sold in 1887 23I, 56l II
acres. The total net sales were $4U5 ,323 S6,
cash receipts trust land account, $780,
1872 %. The total cash receipts FROM all
sources were 1896 946 10. Other figures are
| presented in detail. not interesting TO the
| general public, The text of the report,
however, emphasizes the declaration made
by the Directors report and the testimony
adduced before the Pacific Railroad Inves-
tigating Commission, that the company has
not delayed in taking its land patents, but
| that all DELAYS of that character are charge
able to the Government alone, Thus. the
agent says, that more than two years of
| time has elapsed since any patents were
issued to the company, Notwithstanding
that costs of surveying have been paid on
more than ,00U. 900 acres of land and lists
of selections have been before the proper
department for considerably more than two
years. This delinquency is inhicting, says
the agent, great pecuniary loss upon the
company, in inability to avail of a good
demand in the market. The applicants,
| over 1000 in number, are mainly occu-
pants of odd-numbered sections within the
limits of the grant to the company, and are
clamerous for their title. There are many
conflicts of claims, and thus a degree of
uncertainty exists that paralyzes enterprise
and industry aud binders improvement
and development, and of course becomes an
obstacle to the growth and settlement of
| the country.
| The Withholding Of the patents by the
| Federal Government, therefore, cuts the
! company out of a favorable market and
| checks development. and thus the corpora.
| iAOA 10 OOuDlN. m6Il CdlUDI DullQ
| houses, plant orchards and improve lands
in many cases until able to borrow money
upon their lands, and this they cannot do
until able to use their title as security. The
| Sierra lumber lands are coming into Use
| largely, because of increased activity in
| building. Had the title to their lands been
granted by the Government by issuance of
patents, these lands would have been
sources OF extended enterprise in building,
and consequently the company would have
| benefited by increased business and its
| transportation revenues have been much
| augmented.
However unjust to the company is this
| dereliction OF the Government, greater
| hardship falls upon settlers upon odd
numbered sections within the limits of the
grant. Some OF these have been in occu-
pancy of the lands for over twenty years a
greater number for over fifteen years, and
| over 80 per cent. for nearly ten years The
advance of price of unimproyed lands in
| hicts upon them, therefore, pecuniary loss.
| The company will, however be somewhat
| compensated for its losses because of the
neglect of the Government by the enhanced
value of the land at the time the patents
are received. But" says the agent this
compensation is insignificant, compared to
the il jury inflicted by arresting develop
ment along the line of the road "
| The following from this report is not
| capable of briefer statement, and is of such
interest to occupiers of railroad lands, and
of such value to the public in disabusiug
the mind of the idea that has been indus
| triously promulgated by enemies of the
company, political demagogues and by
| ignorance, that we reproduce it in full:
| While the settler upon railroad land is
willing to occupy, cultivate and improve,
he cannot reinforce his capital by making
| his land the basis of security for loans, and
so long as his title is ipchoate and not alb
solute, he proceeds with improvements
| haltingly and unhesitatingly. To render
the greatest possible service to this class of
| people the lists of selections have been
carefully made, so as to give their lands
| the preference of all other lands in asking
| for patents. 1t has been the practice of
| the General Land Office at Washington to
accord priority to senior applications As
| the General Land Office is DELINQUENT with
its business by many years, special pains
| have been taken TO form lists of selections
out of lands occupied. and in this way pre-
vent the obstruction which lists of unoccu-
pied land would make in Obtaining tile to
those in occupancy. The hardness of the
| General Land Office in responding TO rea-
| sonable demands of the company for re-
| cord evidence OF title has operated as dis
| couragement to the formulation of lists OF
| selections, and tor the past six months
these lists nave not been made. The COM
| pany is prepared to pay the costs of survey
ing, selecting and conveying as required by
| law, upon one million additional acres dur.
| ing the present year, but the payment of
such costs would have the effect only of de-
posting money in the United States Treas
ury, of the use of which the company
would be deprived. and which at the same
| time would be useless to the Government.
| Under the granting Acts moneys so paid
| must be used in prosecuting surveys within
the granted limits. but the dilatoriness of
the General Land Office in making such
surveys relegates the moneys paid into the
Treasury to ideness and uselessness.
Nearly one.h half of the lands granted in
aid OF the construction of the Central Pa
cltic Railroad still remains unsurveyed
notwithstanding ii is now something more
than quarter of century since the grant
was made, aud for the past few years but
few surveys have been prosecuted, and
such as have been prosecuted in the field
have not been approved by the General
Land Office at Washington, and remain in
state of suspension, thoroughly discourag-
ing to Deputy United States Surveyors An
attempted reduction in the cost of surveys
by the General Lard Office has also
operated to suspend surveys in the field al
| luOSt
Concerning the prospective value of land,
the agent reports that the opportunities OF
the land department for observation rem
der it capable of judging of the growth of
the country. This for two years past is
pronounced to have been in some respects
almost phenomenal The new population
capital, enterprise and industry, under the
fayoring climatic conditions of California
are disclosing valuable uses for lands here
tofore held to be of but little value for
agriculture or horticulture. 1t is cited that
olive culture has attained unexpected
prominence, and that it is found the olive
may be grown probably on hill lands Of
inferior fertility. Forage plants adapted
to the long dry season have been success
fully experimental with, and much land
held heretofore to be arid, is coming into
use for their growth.
New methods in agriculture and horti-
culture, due to the peculiar and favoring
climatic conditions of the State, have sup
planted old methods, and the result has
been greatly extended area of available
fertile lands. The climatic conditions here
favor the prosecution Of higher and more
valuable uses of the soil the return to
labor in soil cultivation is greater here than
elsewhere. because of the favorable condi-