The Saint Paul globe., 1900-12-26

state could DG~petteE- -and-mOre. ecOnom1-
cally managed by a central board of con-
troll, than under the present system.
Minnesota is board-ridden state!
While the members of the several boards
do not draw salaries, their expenses in
the aggregate amount to no incons;dera-
BILE sum. A salaried board of control
would be less expensive than the numer-
GUS non-salaried existing boards ef'mana-
gers and trustees.
I'm $685. IN the face of the most de-
termined op9osition, our sister state of
Iowa enac-e ed legislation which provided
tor board Aef=eentrele for the charitable
and correctional institutions of that
state. rT1-77-r-rrr75s7-zT5srr
THE Iowa board of control speedily
discovered that it was unbusiness like
and improbable to-. the state to permit
the steward or superintendent of each
institution to purchase supplies monthly
or as needed. After a fair trial of that
method the board became satisfied that
the state was not securing such favorable
terms as it Should, and was paying full
retail prices for many articles purchased.
The board determined that the state
should have the benefit Of the lowest
wholesale prices and it advertised for
supplies. The saving to the state was
beyond all expectations
''The charitable and correctional in
stitutions cfs. Wisconsin have also been
under the management of a central board
of control for sseveraleyears. The saving
effected by the Wisconsin board for the
biennial period ending Sept. 80, 1900, over
that of the period ending Sept. So 1858,
amounted to $121, 1873. Is.
Under the heads4of~eperson property
assessments the auditor says that the
total number of persons or firms assess
ed in 1900 was 229, SOL, an increase of about
1000 over 1899. With this increase in
numbers there is. a fair increase in the
total amount of personal property assess
ed. for in 1897 the total assessment was
$105, ,612, ,716 with 212,68S persons. In 1900
it amounted to $120, 44f,64 and 229S51 per-
sons or firms assessed. But a closer
scrutiny of the statement reveals some
strange facts While the number assess
ed and the total amount of personal
property has steadily increased the
amount Of money and credits have de-
creased as the Following figures show:
1898 ,5Sg,g7fso 5000. 77Go
1899 -................. 1886, 6230G .50l, $50 20
1906 ................ 323, ,Q5OO0 S,105, ,321. GO
These figures show Enthusiastically that
the owners OF money and credits, tt OSe
who can best-afford to pay taxes, will
fully peTjure themselves and refuse to
bear a fair share Of the public burden
Under the head Of inheritance tax the
auditor says that the law of 1897. from
which 1t was expected a large and in
creasing revenue would be derived, has
been held defective in many vital re-
spects. He thinks it should not be diff
fcult to prepare q new law which would
be invulnerable.
On August. /, 1898, there were ,419,GOO
of the funding bonds of 1891 outstanding.
Since that time there has been $21000O
called in and collected, leaving total
state debt at this date (Dec. 20, 1900 of
OOO mn T0rin =
fully provided for the tax levy for this
purpose. The entire debt will be paid
within ten years.
The state has coming from the United
States government sums aggregating
$780, eco. This is for claims since the time
of the Spanish war.
The auditor states that six years ex-
perience in his Office has convinced him
that it would be for the best interests
of the state if the terms Of the county
auditors and dseounty stEeasurersa were eX-
tended from two to four years.
The stumpage sale held on Nov. IA,
1900 was very satisfactory, in fact, 1t
was the best in the history Of the state.
Almost 90,000,0G9 feet. of pine was sold
at an average price of $557 per thousand
feet The auditors ONLY regret IS that
the law did not permit him to sell the
timber outright for cash. Had he been
authorized to sell for cash, almost NAN
a million dollars would have been paid
into the state treasury. on the day of
the sale; as it is, only % per cent or
that amount has been paid in cash. the
balance can only be paid after the tim
ber has been scaled by the several sur
veyor generals, and it is safe to assume
that the state will lose 10 per cent of the
amount ($5O0e0), before final payments
are made.
The permanent school fund shows an
increase since July 81, 1898, of $724,SS
r. During the year. 1899. there was sold
19. 9.31S5S acres of school land for $l22,-
S4690 an average price Of $3.50 per
acre During 1900. there was sold 49,
5O2. .45 acres for 1856, 344 rs, an average price
of S7.63 per acre. The total sales or
school land to July 81, 1900, aggregate
1851, ,339 Sc acres, the purchase money for
which amounts to S9,5ST629.01, and the
receipts from pine timber asales; mineral
leases and royalty on iron ore increased
the fund to $12, $40 $3.50.
During 1899, there was sold SO8h acres
of university land for $5845.47, an average
price Of Sc 43 per acre. During 1900 there
was sold 415S.94 acres for $23,S45.S9, an
average price Of s$5.T4 per acre.. The aV-
erage price for former years was S5.78 per
acre, and the falling off in 1900 is due to
the fact that much of the land offered
was in scattered tracts, which had re-
mained unselds by reasons efasits inferior
quality.
The Agricultural college land fund is
now included in the university fund, but
the land records of each are ma1nta ned
separately. OF agricultural college lands
there were sold during 1889, forty acres
for $500, an average price ref $3.50 per acre,
and during 1900 there was sold 9S1.1S acres
fro SIS, 769.05, an average price of $S.93.
There now remains unsold 4, 463 20 acres
Of university land and forty acres OF
agricultural college, land zsx
During 1859 there was sold 1,S09F5 acres
of state institutions lands for $7Se5.23,
an average price of Sc per acre In 1900
there was sold 2,026.27 acres for $iO,511. 50
an average price. of Ssh pei. acre The
average price for previous years sales
was $5.91. These lands, it must be re-
membered, are swamp lands There was
selected and set apart out of scle swamp
lands for the benefit of the state institu-
ton fund during the two years ending
July 81 1900. 94.403.11 acres.
1.-The most important requirement at
the present time in connection with the
state lands is the completion of the gov
ernment survey sof minnesota Until this
is done the school and swamp land grants
cannot be closed up and adjusted, and
the state will continue to suffer loss by
reason of swamp land contests. settle
ment by sQuatters upon school sections
prior to survey, and from the depreda-
tions of timber thieves upon unpatented
swamp lands. 1t would be greatly to the
states interest il strong representations
were made to our United States senators
and congressman urging them to use ev-
cry effort to secure stlle necessary legis-
lation and appropriation to complete the
states survey.