The sun., 1894-12-27
A PINE LAND REPORT
TIHE LEGIsLATTvE COMMITTEE nm
CITES WHAT III HAS DOME.
IL Says That Many Frauds Have
Deen Discovered in the Sale Of
Pfne Lands Many suggestions
Made by the Committee.

St Paul, Dec. 23.-The report Of the
pine land investigation COMMITTEES has
been submitted 10 Gov. Nelson. IL IL
q most elaborate affair, and covers
more than 200 pages Of typewTiting.
The committee first cites the resolu-
tion under which II was appointed, the
organization OF the committee and
gives statement OF the funds which
the committee had at It's disposal.
The duties OF the committee have
been arduons and exacting, and have
been OF q most unpleasant nature.
The report closes with the following
recommendations:
"There shall be one surveyor general
for the state, who shall be appointed
by the governor, TO be paid salary,
and all fees turned into tho state
treasury, and all necessary deputies
and employees be paid q reasonable
salary; that all deputy surveyor gen.
erals shall be required TO take oath
and give bond conditioned upon the
faithful performance Of their duties;
that the neglect Of the surveyor gen.
eral to report the failure of any par.
ties In complying with the provisions
Of the permit, or failure of the state
torney general for prosecution, shall
be punished by heavy penalties.
"That the governor, treasurer and
land commissioner be required to meet
as commission for the consideration
or the approval Of estimates and ap-
praisals and recommendations Of sale;
that they shall keep record Of such
meetings, and that no stumpages shall
be sold unless the same be recon-
mended by the governor and one 9TH
er member of said commission; that
the governor have a sufficient appro-
priation to enable him properly to in
vestigate the correctness of such esti-
mates by sending an agent of his own
to examine any of the lands proposed
to be sold, when, in his discretion, 1t
may be necessary to do so; that all
estimates now in the state auditors
office, upon which valid permits are
not now in force, be cancelled; that no
permit shall be given to cover more
than two logging seasons or more
than one description of land, and no
extension or cancellation thereof shall
be made, and a separate log mark
shall be used on each description.
Worthless Bonds.
"That in view of the worthless char
acter of many of the bonds given as
surety for the fulfillment of the con-
ditions of the permit, careful legisla-
ton shall be had regarding the same.
"That no permit shall be issued ex-
cept to the party In whose name the
stunpage is purchased at the SALE
THAT the state treasurer be required
to enforce the provisions of the stat
ute in regard to the collection Of
stumpage drafts; that In the execution
Of all mineral leases the timber upon
the land leased should be reserved to
the state, and that pending action Of
the legislature hereon, In order to pre-
vent the wholesale leasing of land for
the purpose Of holding such timber,
the state auditor decline the issuance
of any additional leases for mineral
purposes.
'That the incoming legislature pass
q stringent law to prevent the kindling
or tires where cuttings Of pine have
been made, even by the owner Of the
land. unless proper safeguards are es-
tablished to prevent Its spreading to
adjoiTdng property.
'"That the land commissioner shall
cause all permits and the bonds ac-
companying the same, together with
any assignments thereof, to be filed in
his office, and recorded in a book
kept for that purpose. That the land
commissioner shall keep a general in
dex of all instruments, documents and
papers fled or recorded in his office
showing the date of filing, and the
place of record"
The committee says Of the state au-
ditor's office: "It is here we find the
most palpable neglect of duties, the
least regard Of the states interests,
the most careless and unsystematic
condition Of the states business and
the greatest display Of either unpar-
donable ignorance Of the duties Of
the office under the law, or downright
official dishonesty"
A chapter is devoted to Matt Clark,
the stumpage clerk, in which 1t Is
shown that he receives q salary Of
$1,500, but pays a man named Bates
$500 year to do his work in the Of
fee, while CLARK has an office down
town, where he conducts an office for
the sale of pine land, presumably us
ing the information he gains In the
auditors Office to aid him in making
money on pine lands.
Fraud and Deceit.
The report further says: "We have
found obstacles and distractions In
our path that at times seemed unsur-
mountable. We have met fraud,
treachery and deceit at every turn"
states the committee in Returning to
Its arduous labors. The committee
RYpewf fAVN AhA Ia
thanks for the personal interest taken
in the success Of the work.
Following is a summary of some OF
the most interesting chapters of the
report:
All the evidence given before this
committee go to establish the princi-
pie that these sales are, as o. general
rule, conducted in the interest Of buy.
ers of stumpage, and rarely in the in,
terest Of the state. Some OF the ills
Of which we complain are attributable
to the defects in the law, but this fact
does not In any way relieve the state
officers from their culpable, we believe
we may truthfully say criminal negli-
gence during the last twenty years, in
the enforcement of those provisions of
the law calculated to protect the In
terests Of the state from the depreda-
tions of unprincipled men.
The report on the work accomplished
shows that In two suits there
have been recovered from the
Itasca Lumber company $4,000, and
from Staples & Mulvy $3,o26.29, Il. r.
Foley $500; total, $50, ,526.29. In addi-
tion to the above, we have suits pend
ing In the courts in which the amounts
sued for aggregate $157, ,2S4,2S. Itasca
Lumber company, four suits, $780,
264.SS: Shelvin-C Carpenter company,
two suits, SAT, 7,59S0S; S. Reynolds, one
suit, $1,000; T. H. Shelvin, one suit,
$26, 6,2S1.22; e. G.. Webster, one suit,
81, 1,140.10; Powers & Dwyer, ono suit,
$4,000; total, $157, ,2S4.2S.
We may also add seventeen suits
In which the evidence is well worked
up and the papers nearly ready to
serve, which suits will aggregate $685.
076.44. This gives a grand total of
S393.094.85. The committee also gives