The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-26


the other state officers passing into
the care and keeping of an equal divi-
sion of Democrats and Populists. Gov
ernor Steunenberg is a contentious,
painstaking, Woodworking official, ever
on the alert for strict economy.
SECRETARY OF STATE.
George ]. Lewis, has, perhaps, the
neatest set of record books in Idaho,
and is running his Office within the
$1,000 annual appropriation, which is
1900 less per year than was allowed
his predecessor. The revenues of the
office for the current year will run a
trifle over $500, Which shows a splen-
did increase, when it is known that the
total revenues received by Mr.. Lewis
predecessor for two years was only
$2,315- George Lewis is public serv-
ant that any state would be proud Of.
STATE TREASURER.
George H. Storer' reports that Idaho's
bonded Indebtedness is in round num-
bers, $4,000, and warrant Indebtedness
about $125,000, offset by t GLOWING
state property: Penitent; $125, 1000;
asylum, $4,000; two nol----.4 schools,
100000; capitol building and grounds,
$780, 900; state university, 100000;
soldiers home, $25, 1000; total assets,
100000 besides the millions of acres of
timber and agricultural lands belong
ing to the state. Financially Idaho is
in splendid condition, warrants for the
first time since statehood are at par,
which is a compliment to the last legis-
lature, as well as to Mr.. Storer.
STATE AUDITOR.
J. II. Anderson, through whose hands
passes every state warrant, stated
that the business of his Office CORE
A careful examination of the AUDITOR
office justifies the assertion that
Auditor Anderson is making one of
the best officials Idaho ever had
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
R. E. Mcfarland, who is legal adj
wiser for all state officers, and who
has supervision of the five district at
torneys, besides serving as secretary
of the state land board, is giving per
feet satisfaction. During the current
year he has had 81 cases before the
supreme court, 81 of which he has won,
three cases now being before that tri-
bunal. His predecessor had so cases in
two years, which comparison shows
that the business of this Office is on
the increase. The expenses of main
tanning this Office for two years under
Mr.. McFarland's administration will be
but 81 800 So 500 of which goes for
clerk hire and general office expenses
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT.
L. N. b. Anderson, who, by the way,
has been in the educational harness for
% years. IA years of which has been
recorded in idaho, submits the fol-
lowing report:
Our schools are in as good condi-
ton as could be expected under our
system. We have not sufficient funds
to carry our schools as many months
in the year as is desirable or, l may
add, necessary to have the best results.
We have a total Of GIL school districts,
and own 65S school houses. Our school
property is valued at S713,A We
paid our teachers last year the sum of
$21S.727.S2 Our schools were in session
an average of 50 months per district.
We have 155 volumes in our school
libraries, and these receive addltlons
daily Our school population is 1910,
with an enrolment of 1850.
Our teachers are from all parts OF
the United States and are the peers of
any in the profession, east or west
STATE LAND DEPARTMENT
"A
ness of this office is the management
and control of the enormous and valued
land interests of the state, viz: School
lands, consisting OF sections 16 and SO
in each township of every county, ag-
gregatfng some 100000 acres. And
about e22 900 acres of land specially
granted by the United States govern
ment to the state for charitable, penal,
and other institutions, university,
normal schools, scientific school, insane
asylum and agricultural college, the
greater part of which is timber land.
The state owns a large body of tim
Der in Latah and Shoshone counties,
which is conceded to be the largest and
finest tract of white pine timber in
the United States, and is estimated to
contain 1000, 100000 feet of white pine
and other tim her. which will easily
average q, 900, 900 feet per section, and
concerning which great interest is be-
ing manifested almost daily by the
timber barons of the eastern states,
where from all accounts, the supplies
are. rapidly diminishing. Naturally the
attention Of capitalists and syndicates
is directed to the next best thing in the
United States, the great timber belt
OF Idaho, where the trees average
from four to seven feet through, and
80 to $50 feet to the first limb. None of
this has yet been placed on the market,
but there is every indication of a rush
being made during the coming summer
for possession of these most valuable
and desirable tracts.
The department is presided over by
the state board of land commissioners,
consisting of the chairman, Governor
Frank Steunenberg, Attorney General
and Secretary r. E. Mcfarland, Secre-
tary of State George j. Lewis, and
SUPERINTENDENT of Public instruction l..
N. B. Anderson, assisted by Mr. Ed
ward Smith, chief clerk of the board.
The board meets on the. second We'd
nesday in each month, and tranSacts
the more important business of the
department, as ordering appraisements,
sales of school and university land,
granting leases, ETC., the proceeds of
such sales forming the general school
fund which is invested by the board
in government and state bonds, farm
mortgages and other securities, for the
benefit of the common schools.
School lands are sold for not less
than $40 per acre, one-tenth of the pur-
chase price cash and the remainder in
ten years time, at 6 per cent, and
leases are granted at a rental of one
tenth of the appraised value of the
land.
Some of the richest and most pro-
ductive tracts in the great wheat belt
of north Idaho are school lands.
STATE ENGINEER,
Hon. T. j. Mills, stated that the
work of this department is for the
most part confined to work in connec-
ton with the administration of the ir-
+1,o