Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1894-10-11
THE STATE LAND OFFICE.
Reasons Why it Should Not be
Abolished.

and imposes the duties Of that Of
ficer on the State Controller.
Should this amendment prevail,
no benefit will inure to the tax
payers for the following reasons:
| Sections II and q of the State
Land Law provide that all sal
aries and expenses of the Land
| Office shall be paid out of moneys
arising from the sale of lands.
Hence the Surveyor Generals
Office does not cost the taxpayers
a dollar, aud our pulic schools
are maintained chiefly from the
proceeds of this office Why kill
or cripple the goose that lays the
golden egg?'
For the year 1891 the interest
payments on land contracts alone
were S43, 75o.32. and in 1882 $780,
1896; and these payments will
continue to increase until the $780,
600 acres of land remaining I'M
selected shall have been disposed
of-not to anticipate future grants.
The net receipts Of this office for
1892 were S97, 1871 .53. which goes
to show the magnitude of the work
done, and the importance of this
office. The above figures are
taken from the latest biennial
sworn statement Of the State Land
| Register.)
It is also important TO know
that if no more applications for
land he made during the next
four years. there would be con-
slant employment for several
clerks and draughtsman to
carry on the work already begun,
involving the preparation of plats
and abstracts for County Assess-
ors use (which is also the source
OF much revenue to the several
countless and the collection Of in
terest payments on some 1000
contracts now in existence, which
number will be increased upon
the approval to the State of the
! $50. 600 acres of land not Yet under
contract
The question naturally arises,
can the people expect better ser
vice by crippling useful public
servant, and by imposing upon
one officer the COLLECTING duties Of
two?
! Under the present system the
! Controller is a cheek between the
State Land Register and the State
Treasurer. and should remain 50
for the security OF the people.
Should the proposed amendment
be made, the Controller, as ex-
of1icio Land Register, would
audit his own accounts. Do the
taxpayers desire this?
Admitting that the work of the
combined offices could be done by
extra clerks, there are certain ex-
ecutive duties of the Controller at
various times during the year
which would prevent his personal
supervision of important CORE
| spondence in the Land Office, or
work in the field as Surveyor
General and State Engineer.
Is 1t good policy to require of
one man the performance OF the
duties OF two or more, in different
places at the same time?
Again, the proposed constitution
would make 1t absolutely neces-
sary to enact a new land law land
every voter knows that it takes
time and money to make laws
For example; section Of the
Land Law says that the Land
Register sha | Endorse upon each
application the exact time Of its
receipt III his office and shall Ger
tify to the State Controller, TO
himselfD etc.
Section II provides that ''all
moneys hereafter paid into the
Treasury on lands shall be paid
in on an order from the Control
Ter, and all moneys refunded to
applicants shall be drawn out
upon a warrant issued by the
Controller. Whenever by reason
of non-approval of lands to the
tate, or other cause, the contem-
plated sale cannot be completed,
the Land Register shall certify to
the Controller thar such applicant
is entitled to the amount paid.
and the Controller shall file such
certificate in his Office as voucher
| drawing his warrant upon the
proper fund for said amount, and
the Treasurer shall pay the same.
| The Land Register shall, at the