The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-10-20
LIEU LAND SCRIP cur OFF.
% Vow ~ No Value an Unsurveyed
Government Lands.

Holders OF lieu land scrip can no longer
DEAL In those securities, which heretofore
resulted In 20 much profit 20 timber
SPECTATORS. On October the sundry civil
bill. which passed the last session OF CON-
grcss, became a law, ana carried away the
lucrative business of many spectators In
the state OF Washington and adjoining
districts This bill carries an amendment
providing that hereafter no selections
from what are known AZ lieu lands shalt
be permitted from unsurvcyed tracts OF
public land not yet appropriated.
These Heu lands are tracts from which
selections are made In place of lands for
merly entered under the homestead or
timber laws, Or purchased outright. but
which were conveyed back to the govern
mont for forest reserve purposes. Tho
settlers giving up these lands received
certificate good for = like area on any o.
the public lands unailotted. whether sur
veysd or unsurveyed These certificates
Immediately came into brisk demand by
speculatsrs. who bought them at a good
figure and applied thtm to good tracts of
government timber lands by them previ-
ously located. In no state In the North
west was this. practice carried to a great
er extent. II II said than In Washington.
where Thousands Of acres OF valuable tim
Der lands were taken up with this scrip
purchased from farmers and stockmep
who prior 70 the passsse Of the forest
reserve laws, had located lands IN the
rich districts Of the Olympic and Rainier
reserves. and who were forced to give up
their holdings that they might be turned
into the national reserve tracts.
In this way. II II said by timber men
and cruisers who have been all over the
state. prior 70 the rush OF Eastern lup-
bermen to secure Washington timber
lands many thousands OF acres were To-
Gated by this scrip and Aftsrward, In tho
demand for timber lands. these locations
were sold 10 Eastern buyers at high
prices, and up to the present time u has
Washington forests
On his recent trip to the Coast Com
missioner Hermann. OF the general land
lumhermxn who called on him on matters
OF another character. said that the scrip
practice had been bad one. as Il allowed
large bodies Of timber land TO IAN into
lever price than they would be able 10
buy them had they 70 deal directly with
the owners Of tract. This has resulted.
az the best Of the government timber
land OF this state from the market. The
passage OF this amendment TO the sundry
else II would only be short time before
all the government timber land OF this
state would have gone the same way.
,s I'm his .ss Win s me sl
Hermann gave me to understand that IN
hts annual report. 20 be Issued shortly, he
would have something 10 say regarding
reserves, There "a yet he said. con-
siderable amount OF this scrip out but
now larger position OF u L. being USED
In Idaho 90 surveyed lands lie also said
that In hts opinion there was stIll an In
suhacient number ~ reserves m The North.
west. and that In this report he would
recommend that tho government taks
some steps to the withdrawal % additional
large tracts Of timber FER forest rsservs-
tt0na
"As 10 where he win recommend that
these selections b. made he ala rot say,
but from his conversation | inferred that
ne was IN favef OF haying them taken from
the forests % tho Northwest"