The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-09
LAND OF THE STATE.
Secretary Rrninerd Tells What the
Commission Has Done.

s~rhe work Of the board Of state land
commissioners has been no sineeure this
year" said EsrasFus Bratnerd, secretary Of
the state land commission TO a Spokez-
HBan-ReYiew reporter the other day. We
had 10 hear ard dispose of between two
and three thousand conflicts % title 10
tide lands Al Seattle ard Tacoma. Many.
of course were nominal and easily settled.
but the board sat from s.3o a N. TO s p.
m for sighty~rwo days In Seattle, and
attorneys were allowed only fifteen min
Htes FOR argument on each side.
oyster land contests and appraisals
have also taken a good deal Of time. il
being necessary to determine whether land
was artificla! or natural oyster beds. and
how much IL vas worth.
I'm school lands Che board has not done
much as to sales. for we adopted the pol
say OF making no sales except for special
cause until the hard times are over. We
dfd not assume that the state intends 10
beeome a grasplng landlord, but We did
thsnx that the state should not come into
competition with the prices Of sheriff >
sales. thar Is to say. the state does not
have TO sell land now. and as land f. at
the lowest price, the school fund viii
profit by waiting. The people q the state
gat the money anyhow. and We believe
they prefer that the school fund should
grow rather than that individuals should
secure lands 81 forecd sale pr.ees.
zone Of the Eaost grateful acts Of the
commissioners Is the Investment OF the
state school funds in state warrants. The
last legislature wisely authorized the cOui-
mission 10 10 this The result Is that.
instead Of being practically AT Tho mercy
Of bond brokers VINO controlled the bonS
market ana only allowed the state TO net
htsla over s per cent interest. and who
took the money oIig Of the state. t.e school
fund now gets per cent. and the money
II kept IN the state. In effect the state
pays money ont ~ one pocket into an
other. and pays itself a profit on It's own
security
The shore land law Is occupying much
Of Cur attention. The last time was over
here you tccuisrly asked ne Il was going
10 sell tide lands on tie Spokane river.
YoHr question now nigh, be serious. For
the last legislature passed an act author
ixing tie sale OF shore lands on non-tidal
uasfgable streams below the llae OF ordl-
nary high water. A preference right was
granted which expired on March I last
and today any person may apply TO pur-
chase such lands anywhere. ON the Co
lambda they are applying 20 purchase
SHORE lands from Ilwaco 20 The Danes In
my opinion the law is intquitous and should
~ repealed: for wherever there Is n strip
OF lard covered once year by water some
one may step IN and buy ft before the
owner ~ the ahatting land. who thinks NJ,
owns 20 the water tine, knows where he
f. at
AS 10 the selection Of lands 20 complete
tho states grant. that h our most difficult
work. II Is hard 10 get competent. honest
cruisers. and even harder 20 get any bodies
~ Arst-caass land Won would be aston
ishef 20 know how few townships there
are n the state not surveyed or under cor
tTart 20 survey We have partjes ont IN
chohRls, Pacific Ctaranl and Skaeit ana
other piaces trying 60 secure first-elasS
lands anf believe We viii an the grants
ta's snfnaaer with as good land as Il IL pos
sible now 70 select