Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-04-13
FORTY MILLIONS.
...,o,er Ruth Says That wHh nc inc
w. - If the Dakota schooi Fund

= .~iQgi1Dtf
.-ount OF the Dakota school Fund.
rity Journal: The Hon.
..omas II. Ruth, commissioner Of
ma and public lands OF South Da-
scnV0 noe in the city on his way
aorth. Said he;
n" NV nave been getting ready to
.,.,t on the land sales which VIII be-
s wednesday at Canton. A bill
gu introduced into the legislature
,,st winter which, If it had passed
MD have prevented our making any
VIZ Gales. The proposition was to
hs;da. for the leasing of all the
.Soo, lands, but to prohibit their
W. The idea was to give the state
s.a henefit of the appreciation in val
hut don't think the effect would
W. been satisfactory. The farmers
nso leased the lands, having no per-
~a0ent interest in them, would have
at all they could out of them for the
Zine being, and paid no attention to
- nermaneut improvement. The
rosult would have been a lot OF run
AVN and seedy farms. AS a general
.hino the farmers prefer to take un-
nrokep land and get a fair start on it
thor than to begin with a farm
,vhicb has been worn out by former
tenants. The effect might not be 81
had in the older states where it is
nacessary to make the very best S
If the land in order to make it pay.
1--WE have in South Dakota 5000, 900
ocres Of school lands, besides 620,0 600
acres Of endowment lands given by
the general government for the pur-
nose of the state institutions. We
are permitted under the statute to
cell one-third Of this amount during
the first ten years that we hold it.
Ne have. however, sold about l,000,-
NO acres and shall sell about 80, 600
more this year. The minimum value
for which we are allowed to dispose
Of it is $40 per acre. That which we
shall sell has been appraised at from
s2 to $50 per acre. Our sales will be
from the school lands alone, however,
and the endowment lands will not be
touched at present. We shall not
have any trouble in making sales as
we have a land boom on at present,
The terms, too, are very reasonable
and the buyers appreciate the fact.
.The proceeds of the sales, Ofcourse,
become a part of the school fund,
that now on hand amounts TO 81, AGO.
900 and the present sales will add
something like $3.50, coo more.
"We have $4,000 acres near Sioux
Falls and $4,000 near WatertOwn.
This land is, Of course, very valuable.
Then there are a number of sections
near other large towns, During the
summer we shall plat one section at
Chamberlain and sell it as tOwnslots.
Parts of sections will also be plated
at Mitchell and Huron.
"Ancther source Of revenue for the
school fnad is the 5 per cent. it re-
eeives of all sales of government land
within the state. We shall claim our
regular per cent. for lands sold both
before and since the admission of The
state.
by an act Of the last Legislature
the Office Of state agent was created
To- rosecute these as well as other
claims against the general govern
ment. This office was given to
GOodykuntz, of Chamberlain, and we
shall push matters.
South Dakota will, | think, when
heflands are all turned into money,
nave the largest school fund Of any
Of the states. / should estimate
hat 1t would amount to $40, 900, 600"
Municipal Elections In North Dakota.
BlslAarck-E. S. Allen, mayor; j.
roman, treasurer; L. c. Chase, JUS
lceii 4. ii. Barrett, clerk; aldermen,
-. Mcdonald, A. Healy, A. Robi-
uOn, /. Cunningham, II. L. Reade,
ueorgeGussner, William Braith
O. II. Beal.
ufand Forks-Aldermen: First
safa, W. A. Gordon; second, Jacob
anderson; third, e. G. Cooper; fourth,
~. Doaeny; fifth, j. p. Kingsland;
sixth, J. X. Swan.