New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-19
THE SALINA RESERVATION.
SALE OF The STATES SALT LANDS URGED
AT SYRACUSE.
AN EXPENSE AND NOT SOURCE OF INCOME

AN EXPENSE AND NOT A SOURCE OF INCOME
Loss OF $4,000 ANTICIPATED NEXT YEAR.
Syracuse. Dec u tSpecialD-The salt manufacturers
0! syracuse without exception In favor Of having
N"wlork state get out Of the salt business or. r.
other words. dispose o. the Salina salt reservation.
which Cor many years afforded the chief Industry
Of this city. There are WAYS Of bringing about
this result and both have their advocates. The
plan which seems 10 meet with the most favor Is
that the stat" shall give the property free Of con
dcratoa. to the present lcssecs The other IS that
-" land be appraised and offered for sal" AT reason
able prices, in each instance granting the manu-
facturer has occupied tie land 50 long the
Grst privilege OF purchasing. IN case he should not
desire the property, 1t may h. sold To the highest
bidder at public auction. This has been tie plan
adopted at former sales Of State lands here. There
Is. however stumbling block to both plans. The
manufacturers of salt have perpetual leaSes
rom the state. and the buildings erected upon the
salt fields Of more value than the land Itself
At the same time they are worth moving, and
should the property be sold TO other than the present
occupants, tie ercctonS would be dead los 10 the
owners. To guard against this. the latter want the
state to pay them for the buildings. with the
fine salt makers the situation Is slightly different In
that they have no perpetual lease from the state.
They have nothing but an agreement to pay cent
per bushcl revenue for all salt manufactured In
consideration for all Of the salt wafer they require.
the state to pay the expense Of pumping 1t ana
keeping up the watcrmains. Therefore. II the land
should be sold. they would be obliged 10 move their
buildings.
Ex Lieutenant Governor Thomas G. Alvori. VINO Is
one of the Oldest salt manufacturers here and who
has done more In securing salt legislation at various
times than any one else, is much interested in the
present movement. To Tribune reporter he said:
People hire certainly want III" property out ~ the
hands Of the State and in the hands OF the manu-
facturcrs. We believe that We can obtain better
water at lower prices. II tho property IS IN orr
lnnds and at the same time the state VIII be
making money. Now we are required to pay cent
q blshe revenue for keeping the locks In repair and
getting the water. In 1890 the state lost $4,000
on the salina salt lands. and last year $4,000 1t
looks this year If the State would lose SIo'ooo'
for the production OF salt is so small that the
revenue will fall far below that OF former years
The expense Keeps UP. however. Just the same II
would be better for TIE State to give away the land
and get nothing In return than 10 sink so much
money every year Besides, II IT were under private
supervision there would be revenue from the state
tax and this would all be gain. because the expense
would be shut or
"Thc area covered BY the fine and coarse salt lands
amounts TO about fifty inside Of the city limits
and $50 acres outside. The city land would b. worth
ON apprasal from 500 to 81 600 an acre, hut the
vats upon this property worth more than that The
country land would not bring more than S@oo an
mere but the salt watts fully valuable as those
In the city. The Of the land owned by private
corporations and used for the manufacture OF sail Is
more than that held by the state. think that under
private management the salt INDUSTRY oi osi"'"''
would never grow less"
IIuyt III. Freeman. one OF the largest manufacturers
Of fine salt on State lands SAID Sc The MANUFACTURERS
here are oil In favor OF having the salt lands 90 ont
Of the supervision Of the state. but they want the
state 70 pay them for their buildings think that
~ 4h.no I'm he
The salt business here l. ruined and IN my nina ran
never amount 10 much The land. II e0h, Wouid be
used for other manufacturing purposes and would be
a great benefit to syracuse. The leases OF 'he hho
salt lands expired June 20 1850. and they have never
been ressuod. We have been practically sqnatfers
since then though we have possession and our buildings
are there Originally there were 3iG fine salt blocks
In operation. last year only twenty I'VE were work
lng Simply because the manufacturers can't make
II pay"
The State began It's administration OF the reservation
In 1907 when the manufacture Of salt reached 23l9i
bushels In 1880. only thirty-ihrco years later
435 446 bushels made. II was In lo6@. during
the Administration Of WINS W. smith superinteu
dent that the largest manufacture occurred the out
put being 9,o53,574 bushels. Last year there were
made 3.54s ola bushels From the time The state
assumed control Of the reservation IN 100, 10 January
Of Of Salt salt ''''e "''' '"'''''''' ''''N
evaporation in 1872. To-day there IS manniacturcd
more coarse salt than fine In lsgl the excess 81
solar salt over me was 80 0,'1i h"'''.,' "'1""
is nyracuse's greatest tval but II can never compete
with the latter iQ Northern and Eastern New orb on
account Of the State waterway. Il Is safe 10 say tnt
some salt Will always be made here.
The Coarse Salt Association, consisting Of all the
coarse salt companies Ia syracuse, recently held 4
meeting and expressed preference to have the lands
taken out OF the supervision of the state.
II has been presumed that the State would not
want 10 sell the lands there purchasers IN
view This IS erroneous idea. fcr the constitutional
amendment voted upon ut the last election was pro.
rcd nv the Warsaw manufacturers who thought that
syracuse manufacturers should be- made 10 pay for
tlnts nd tupy
cnucht IN bv the Syracisans, who thought II would
be a benefit 10 them as well as TO the State to have
the lands sold. Acting under this Impulse. cNlieu-
tenant Governor AlvOrd. backed mp by the other manu-
factirers here had the bill introduced Into the Legs
lature They now occupy the lands, and would prob
ably have been the purchasers had the amendment not
been defeated.