The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-11-01

ogs, scaling 719, 43O feet. In addition
,hese logs were scaled at the request
# the state, and dated Minneapolis,
pril 4, 1898. Mr.. Sauntry sold the
timber, before it was cut, to Henry
Webster for 81 per thousand. The
timber was very close to the river,
was good, and worth at least IS per
thousand on the stump at public |
sale.
81 think the section referred to
was sold irregularly and Illegally"
testified the witness. II never knew
of pine as we'll situated as that and |
Of equal value being sold at private |
sale for 81 per thousand. l never
knew of a case where timber was sold |
at S. per thousand and an honest re-
port Of the amount cut made to the |
state auditor. AS matter Of expert |
ence and observation, during the
thirty years [ have been in the bust
ness, it has been the common prac-
tice to bid in at public sale timber on
school lands at high price for the
purpose of discouraging competition
at the bidding, the intention and
practice being to make up what they
lost thereby by false and fraudulent
scaling.
"When working for J. D. Robbins
the report was made to Auditor Bra
den that the section had been burned
over, and [ was sent to scale the logs.
What l scaled amounted to three
times the amount on the bank. Less
than fourth Of the logs scaled
showed evidence of burning. 1t has
been the case that in many instances
persons would buy small piece of
land adjoining school lands, and
when the logs cut on school lands
were scaled, the man who cut them
would show the scaler logs that were
cut on the school lands and desig-
nate others as being cut in his own
land. Timber has been sold for 81
when 1 know the parties would be
glad to pay $4.5O or SIS for it rather
than not get it. The cutting on in
demnity lands was done indiscimin-
ately."
VALUABLE WOODS STOLEN.
Another witness testified as to
scaling section 16. township 38, range
20 in Pine county. The amount of
oak, Eastwood, elm, ash, birch,
maple, aspen and butternut timber
cut is given on lands where there was
a right to sell pine and tamarack on
ly. The auditors certificate shows
oak logs cut, but no ash, birch.
maple, aspen or butternut, all these
have been run in as Eastwood at 30
cents per thousand. Cutting the
hardwood off these lands hurt their
sale as farm lands. The stumpage
value of this timber is: Oak, So per
Thousands; elm, ash, maple, butter
nut and aspen, 81 per thousand. The
average value of the whole of the
timber cut on this land is $3.50 per
thousand. He knew number of
men, he said, that would be glad to
get the timber at So per thousand.
A third witness testified that he
had been surveyor general of Wiscon-
sin for a great many years. In
speaking of sections Is and 26, town
ship Al, range Is, in Carleton county,
on the Nemadji river, he testified
that on section Is there we're 3,0OO,-
900 feet of pine, and on section Sc
there were 100000 feet. This tim
Der is worth So per thousand on the
stump. On section Sc, township So,
range IA, there had been a report of a
was let to Andy Gowan to cut up to
tiOn. Witness went there and found
that there was not a stick left for
GOwan to cut.
UNDERESTIMATE A MILLION.
A witness who has had an expert
and explorer, speaking of section 36,
fnV 6 hi hn
state auditors books show that there
288,3SU feet. looked over the land
in Septem Der of this year and found
there was about 100000 feet cut on
the section. In addition to the logs
[ found that there had been 2,432
ties cut on this section, which had
not been reported to the state audi
tor. These ties are worth five cents
a piece. The pine on the section was
sold to the II. G. Ackley Lumber
company. The original estimate ON
this section was only 100000 feet.
After the cutting had been made
last winter, went into the auditors
office and found that the re ord
showed that $685. feet had been
cut. This report was not made until
AFTER June I. There are many cases
where supplemental reports Of the
amount cut have been made, and a
number of instances where returns
had been made in August after the
first report had been made in June.
The above testimony is but a speci-
men of all taken by the committee,
but will serve to show that extensive
frauds have been perpetrated on the
state treasury in various ways.
The state has already been paid ten
times the cost of the investigation,
by the frightened rascals coming in
and settling up for yet undiscovered
stealings. But it is sad commentary
that such things could 60 on fol
thirty years in an enlightened com
munity like Minnesota.
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