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

ley K. Walton, the latter of whom serv-
ed as the boards secretary. The board
was not organized until April %, 1896,
and the remainder of the year was
occupied with preliminaries in office
and field work. The first years exper-
fence demonstrated that the work be-
fore the board was of greater magni-
tude and Importance than had been
anticipated.
The legislature, then in session, enact
ed amendatory legislation pertaining to
the states land interests. and by the
terms of the law, which became effect
i've on March IL 1897. the personnel of
the board was changed. AS now con-
stituted, the state board of land COM
missioners is composed of Governor
Wells, who is ex-off1cio president; Sec
rotary of State Hammond, Fisher S.
Harris and Byron Groo of Salt Lake;
Isaac c. Macfarlane of st. George,
| Thomas d. Rees of lSanpete and Wes-
ley K. Walton of Rich county. The
last named is the boards secretary.
The five citizen members were nOmin-
ated by the governor and confirmed
by the state senate. Commissioner
Groo, who was register of the United
States land Office in this city until his
successor was appointed by President
Mckinley, deferred qualifying as a
member Of the board until about six
weeks ago. A salary of 81 200 per year
and travelling expenses attaches to a
board membership, but the governor
and secretary of state receive no adj
ditional compensation, Four of the
commissioners belong to the Demo-
cratic party and three are Republicans
Two years is the. term OF office of each
appointed commissioner. and each is
under a $4,000 bond.
WIDE RANGE OF. DUTIES AND
POWERS.
The powers and duties of the board
are to select appraise, protect, lease,
sell, and generally to manage the pub
lie lands of the state, and to invest
the funds derived from their DISPOSE
ton. The board is empowered to hear
and determine contests between set
tiers, claimants and applicants for the
purchase of lands, and, almost without
exception, the judicial powers conferred
upon the board made it court of last
resort in affairs pertaining to the
states lands.
OFFICE AND FIELD PRELIMIN-
ARIES
A vast amount of clerical and field
work was necessary to be accomplish
ed before the board could commence
to make progress in the advantageous
disposition OF lands The Office prelim-
mary work has been in great part the
making of accurate and complete plats
of the surveyed domain, the prepara-
ton of abstracts of title record books,
and, in short, getting everything ready
for the satisfactory conduct of the
states prospective large land business.
Eventually the state viii be engaged
in transactions with over half mil
lion purchasers and leasers. and the
boards account books alone will for
years carry an enormous number of ac-
tive items The field work has been a
matter of no small dimensions. The
selection and appraiSement of lands
and the gathering of data pertaining
to the topography, characteristics and
all matters upon which present and
prospective valuations are based have
necessarily required much time and
travel. AS an Illustration of what has
been required in this respect, it need
only be cited that one commissioner,
Mr.. Macfarlane, has himself Travelled
over 1000 miles in the state from April
last to the end of November, making
selections and appraisements and gath
ering data, His, colleagues, particularly
Messrs. Harris and Rees have done
similar work in other parts Of the state.
necessitating visits to far and near
counties.
LANDS APPRAISED.
To date selections and appraisements
OF school lands have been made as fol-
lows, the greater portion of which be-
ing for applicants, preference rights to
purchase tracts which, subsequent CO