The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-12-28

mann's office at 100000, when in reality
there are 100000 feet on the piece; an
accommodating scaler makes return
of 100000 feet to Mr.. Biermann-
5000 more than the estimate in his
Office calls for. The State has gained
100000 over the estimate and Mr..
Smith has gained 100000 feet. We
DO not say that this would have been
done in this particular case, but had
there been no investigation it could
have been done, and every lumberman
in Minnesota knows it has been done.
Several letters are before US as we
write. One is from John G. Smith, of
St. Francis, an old pine land cruiser
and one of the recently-appointed Red
Lake examiners. He writes: IT know
of one section of school land on the
Eastern Minnesota r. r. where 2,OOO,-
600 feet of timber was hauled, and only
100000 Was returned to the Auditors
Office" Mr.. Smith is an honest man
and strange to say is good Democrat.
Here is a sample of Understanding
that is receiving attention at the hands
of the joint Investigating committee:
"Amount paid for, 669, $3.50 feet, actually
scaled as CUT 2,l2O,000; amount paid
for, 675,270 feet, actually scaled as cut,
100000 feet" A score of other sim
liar discrepancies between the. scale as
returned and the actual cut could be
cited. Now, if the Auditors records
showed the correct estimate of a piece
OF pine in the first place such frauds
would be impossible. Because if the
scale reported was less than the esti-
mate on the Auditors books, he could
send experts and have the timber
scaled from the stump. Then again,
scattering pine is not as valuable as
compact pine. It costs more to handle
scattering pine. For instance, 6,0OO,-
QUO feet of pine standing on one section
is worth almost double what 100000
feet of equally as good pine
would be, scattered over five or six Sec
tions. Understanding and under
scaling has robbed the State of Mime
sofa of millions of dollars.
PRATT's APPRA1sEMENT.
A great ado is made over the APP
praisement and estimate by Len Pratt
and T. P. Kerr. Mr.. Pratt went be-
fore the legislative Investigating COM
mittee and testified how he came to-
!! make SUCH a. low appraisement. He
knew there were dozen men who
stood ready to bid for the stumpage on
section 36-42-26, and he knew that it
would be run up to 81 or perhaps SIS
| per M. This appraisement by Pratt
was not authorized by law and never
should have been made. 1t is the State
Auditors business to send his own ex-
aminers, men employed by him the
year through, to estimate and appraise
pine stumpage. The State appropri-
ates fifteen or twenty thousand dollars
at every session OF the legislature to
defray the expense of estimating and
appraising state lands. Mr.. Biermann
attempts to convey the idea that he
was governed by Pratt's estimate.
This sO-called estimate of Pratt's was
made three months subsequent to the
sale to Smith & Co. How in heavens
name could an estimate made three
months after the sale had taken place
have any bearing on that sale?
THE VALUE OF THE LOGS.
The claim that the State received all
the stumpage was worth is absolutely
and unqualifedly false Pine stumpage
on Rum River is growing scarcer and
more valuable each year. Second and
third cuttings, that is, timber that has
been cut over two or three times sells
for from So to So per M. Every piece
of school and university land has been
sold and re-sold. There is scarcely any
pine left outside the old Mile Laos res
ervation, and there is not single piece
of virgin pine within the limits of the
old reservation that can be had short
of So per M. Years ago Hon. D. M.
Sabin authorized Judge Keith and the
writer to pay as high as So to settlers
for small punches of pine-say from
one hundred to two hundred thousand
feet on an 100 acre tract. The wit
nesses for the defendants, G.. A. Smith
& Co., all swore that So was a good
price for the stumpage on 36-42-26, and
that the logs were worth only from
$3.50 to So in the boom. Ex-Gov. J. S.
Pillsbury testified that he thought SO
was a fair price for the. stumpage.
Here is copy of a contract made by
and between J. S. Pillsbury and Page
Bros. for ''old slashings'' on a tract OF
800 acres-$2.50 per M. for 800, 900 feet:
OFFICE OF GULL RIVER LUMBER Co. !
| s Minneapolis, Jan. %, 1898. :
Permission is hereby given to Messrs.
Page Bros. to cut and remove the pine
firohor IN tho fn11o,r;nnr 1ooom:l,,a