The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-11
Reports.


Reports.
The law prescribes that the governor.
prior to the meeting OF the legislatures
state for publication all reports
of officers and boards. have,
w to this writing. received and de-
livered TO the secretary of state the fol-
lowing biennial reports: OF the board of
regents of the University; of the board
OF trustees of the Agricultural college, of
the board OF trustees Of the School for the
Deaf and Dumb and Blind, Of the trustees
of the State Industrial school. OF the
state board of corrections. OF the state
board of pardonS. OF the commissioners of
the Insane Asylum. of the state board of
health. of the state board of horticulture
OF the state board of land commissioners.
Of the state board of dental examiners, of
the attorney general, of the secretary of
state. adjutant general coal mine in
spectOr, fish and game warden. state en-
sineer, state law librarian. state superin-
tendent of public instruction, state board
Of medical examiners.
The reports of the following named
boards and officers are not yet received:
State board of pharmacy. the state
auditor. the state treasurer. the state
dairy and FOOD commissioner.
State Lands.
The important and really prodigious
work of caring for the state land
grants is progressing satisfactorily IN
der the supervision Of the state board
of land commissioners. After three
years of diligent preparation it may be
said that the state land department has
arrived at that gratifying stage when
the various funds are beginning to be
built up.
The consideration and adjustment Of
preference right claims, with the scores
of contests incident thereto, under see
ton 1887 of the revised statutes, Civ
ing actual bona fde settlers or occu-
pants who had improved state lands,
and who We're in actual occupancy
thereof Jan. !, 1894. the right to buy at
the appraised valuation, and giving to
settlers who had resided upon, occupied
or cultivated school lands previous to
the extension of the United States sur
veys theTeover the right TO bay al %
per cent OF the appraised valuation,
have required a vast amount of time
and patience, and have, therefore, re-
tarded exceptional progress in other di-
rectiOns. But the adjustment of these
rights was Indispensable and fortunate
~ all Of the preference claims, or Drac-
Iically so, have now been passed upon
by the board, awards having been
made and certificates of sale issued,
most of them being on ten years time
at per cent per annum interest. a
much greater share of the time of the
board may therefore be devoted in fu-
ture to the selection Of lands to satisfy
the various grants and to the disposal
Of same for the benefit Of the various
funds. and other duties in the broader
fields prescribed by law.
It must not be inferred, however, that
no selections or sales have been made
or no funds realized theTefrom. On the
contrary, 236.431 acres OF the public
lands have been selected in part sat
isfaction of the several grants: public
auctions have been held Of state lands
in several of the counties: more than
$4,000 acres of school lands have been
leased; three tracts under the Carey
act, involving over 100000 acres Of des-
ert land, have been selected and seq
regated for reclamation, and the var
ious funds have been stertsd upon
their mission of thrift with an accu-
mutation, including the school lands
sold on time, of upwards o. SsQ0 009
This subject is so full of interest to
the legislature and the taxpayers that
anticipating the more detailed reports
Of the staUe board of land commission
ers, to be presented to you hereafter.
give a brief summary herewith &c the
amounts received on sales of land to
Dec. 81, 1898, with the amount invested
and the rate per cent the inveS truents
are drawing:
Total amount received on salt c. and
to Dec. Il, 1895:
On school fund princlpaD, per
cent OF sale of public lands.-....S 1916 81
On school fund (prlncipaD, sales
OF school lands Observation-Disclosures oJ.zJl %
feFr atio Pay mem e5'-,s.sst On u COS 81
W Vestm e 'i,o ms 80. Vi- m 39iSs
University fund principaD. sales
of university lands) ..-.-...-..... %, 40 81
f f5zsii Fay msnt s''s.@l on ne 5lo g
Vesfmertsj -. C.' -, $40 o.
School Of mines fund .............. All %
Reservoir fund ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ..53 50
Agricultural college fund ........ $50 q
Insane asylum fund ..-...--.--.-.-. % y
Institution for the blind fund. II 50
Miners hospital fund ..-.......... % 30
Total amount realized from
all sources from land) ..-... 1886 $40 %
School lands sold on time ........ % 1863 90
Total .......... ..................sHee sS %
Amount invested
School Iund ..;------'--------------$ l2Vgl %
University fund ---...-----.-.----.. lzJ.fil .
School lands sold on time.-.-..-.. DO 35s O6
Amount IN treasury ..-.-...-.....- 637S1 04
Total ............................$ng,6 as s.
Amount on hand for investment
School fund principal. ..............$3 $50 Isl Of
University fund principal .......... 1899 %
Miscellaneous funds ......-..-..--.. ISIS y
Total .......... ........ .......... ssz 80 95
Interest on proceeds Of sales of
lands on hand University. 49, 81, $50 81
(SchooD 6,534 y
Total ......... .S26515 90
Investments Bonds and MORTGAGES,
S3e.I61. drawing per cent, or S2.153.20 per
annum; bonds, S57.3l2. drawing per cent.
or s.. 446.32 per annum bonds. 5000. draw
ing > per cent, or $3.50 per annum; school
lands sold on time. 81. 569.06. drawing
per cent, or Sll-ibo.45 per annum; bonds.
So .405.25. drawing 3 per cent, or Sl,1221S
per annum. Total, $685.. 907.3l, drawing ar
average of > per cent, Or $lS,236l5 per
annum-
From these figures it viii be seen that
with increased land sales and taking in
account the sum now on hand Of earned
interest il IS not unreasonable TO estimate
that $4,000 TO 5000 viii be available
during the next two years for the sup
port Of the school and various insti-
tutions, and this fact / think may safe
" be taken into account in estimating
expenditures for the ensuing TWO years.
IT would be Improbable to further
anticipate at this time the very elabo-
rate reports Of the state board of land
commissioners, which viii De presented
TO you and which VIII afford you COM
prehensive and detailed information re-
specting its business but l desire TO
emphasize its recommendation in re-
gard 10 a suggested amendment to the
law so as 10 permit the state to con-
tract for the disposal of lands at pri-
vate sale TO parties on whose applica-
tons the respective tracts shall be Sc
lected, as I am satisfied that such
viii not only facilitate Sc