Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1893-04-14

thougnr possibly There Would NOT 5e mucn
objection. This section Is located over four
making very long haul but thought, un-
ger the circumstances that we should pay
S $hano per Pc thousand feet for what timber
wise us at your earliest convenience, and
The facts are, not stick Of the timber
nor until year later. and from 2, 500 900 to
s o. NY Ieet OF the timber is still standing,
e 81 seat the timber that Smith &C.
winters work falls to the ground
Auditor Bierman claims to find his au-
th9rt Y for disposng Of the timber II cues
er az Laws ct 1885 which reads as follows:
section 2. He shall take such meas
a as VIII protect the said timber from
wise, ana make such regulations for the
care, control, sale and disposition Of the
t nnner lands Or the state or the timber
t1eIeon, as VIII best protect the interests
OF the state d - -
FINDINGS.
your committee is fully convinced, and the
evidence concusively shows. that the pine
timber on section 36, town AZ, range rs, J
Nne same being a school section), was well
s Moffn 81 per p,d thousand feet and weuld
been offered at public sale, as provided by
law. John Goss, a responsible Anoka lum-
herman, SWears that he would have bid 81,
Robert Burch swears positively that he
would have bid, 81 per thousand feet, and
= = ready to take what is left at that figure.
n. 5. Page, of the firm of Page Bros. Of
Anoka, and A. w. Woodcock of Princeton.
oid time ana responsible lumbermen, swear
that the timber was worth a. r. NJ. Cowles
OF saltwater, dealer in pine lands and owner
OF large tracts of pine in Mile Laos county,
testified that he sold timber the present year
on on an a., ADJOINING section for "a per thousand,
FL q HY3v U m S.tv
while the timber on section SO, town 40,
range 70, mad to be hauled less than five
miles mas n to lananS and the Gowles timber
school section In question. Besides, Mr..
Cowles testified that he had attended the
land sale held at the state auditors Office
of bidding on the timber on section SO,
town ~. range 26. and that he was prepared
to for bid saa at t '9sst 81 per hi, thousand
language, he would have considered it a
bargain at that figure" All the evidence
goes to show that the timber was worth 81
per thousand fee.
Your committee finds further that the pre-
tended sale to c. A. Smith & Co.. according
to the state auditors own admission, was
made on Jan. p, 1892, and that at a public
prior thereto the timber on an adjoining
section was sold to one Sauntry of Still
water. 1t therefore follows that if the tim
dangered by fire on Jan. IS 1852 as claimed d
by Mr.. Bierman, it certainly was his duty
to dispose ; Of the same at tt the public sale
as matter Of fact that there was vas NO 40 such UGH
danger at any time. Furthermore, the evil
dence shows that the timber on section
&c., town AZ. range 26. was sold on an esti-
mate of 900 feet, made years ago If
made at all. and bond of only $4,000 was
exacted from Smith & Co: The facts are
that there We're 100000 feet on this sec
ton, and even at 50 per thousand bond of
S11 GOO ShOulQ have been cXactpu,
Section T. chapter 269, of the General
Laws of 1888. nrovides the manner in which
wise should be disposed of, and is as fol-
lows:
Sec L. BEFORE any pine timber Is sold
from Of the Of the stats the
estimates Of said timber and statements
regarding liabilities to loss or damage to
said timber, to the goTernor: treasurer and
shall state that it is for the interest of the
state that snrh timber shall be sold. and
such statement shall be Endorsed on the es.
innate of sni,l timber and signed by said
officers. officially. the commissioner may then
advertise and sell the timber on said lands
so authorized TO be- sold, In the manner
provided hy law: provided. that no pine
timber :'nv state lands is to he sold I'm.
der any conditions unless the officers herein
named sh"'; state that such sale is neces-
sary to protect tae state from loss.
The above section of the law has not bee,.
complied with in any particular: hence rhe
pretended sale is Illegal and void. and II
permitted to stand, the state school fund
viii suffer loss of at least $1,000.
In relation TO the so-ca!:-G appraisal made
by Witness Pratt ard others. at the re.
quest of Mr.. Rcr,nan. we find that there
was an appraisal made of this and other
schools la,:,is IN the vicinity. but surh ap-
praisal was m:,''" in the latter part of April.
1892, or ahoH three months after the sale
to G. A: Smith &: Co.. and could have had
no bearing u1'on the sale in question.
Your committee would respectfully recon-
mend that c. A. Smith & Co. be required to
pay at least ST per thousand feet for the
timber already cut on section SO, town ~,
uncut on said section SO be disposed Of at
public sale to the highest bidder. as pro
vided by law and that this report, or q
copy thereof. be transmitted to his excel
lency. the governor. and that he be re.
quested TO take such steps as will best pro.
tect the interests Of the state.
All Of which is respectfully submitted.