The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-24
North Dakota.
Field Day FOR NEN BILLS
RECORD-BREAKER REACHED IN
TINKERING WITH THE LAWS
OF THE FLICKERTAIIIS
SCHOOL FUND IN FINE SHAPE
Effect of the States LOw-Ebb FL
nances ON the Various Public
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES New
Laws Proposed.


InstitutiOns-Severa New
Laws Proposed.
BISMARCK, N. D., Jan. 2S-(SpeciaI)
! This was field day in the house for
| proposed laws and twenty-five bills were
presented, amending various sec
ton Of the code and adding
| new laws to the statutes. A
number of bills were presented cover
ing procedure in appeals and other mat
| tiers of practice, representing ideas of
| attorneys differing from the bill pre-
scented by the state bar association.
| Other laws proposed are: Creating the
office of state tax commissioner abolish
| ing the publication of election returns
| by precincts, enacting more stringent
law for the protection of fish, providing
for the payment of license fee by in
| surance agents, increasing the penalty
| for kidnapping, requiring district court
| judges to assign reasons for all decisions
rendered, and others covering a multi
| tude of minor subjects
There Is general interest in the
probable recommendations of appropria-
ton committees under the resolution
adopted today, authorizing them to
| recommend reductions, wherever deemed
advisable, in the current expense an
also much interested in the action Of the
senate committee appointed to investi-
gate the expense and clerk hire of state
o1ncers with view to reductions A
list OF institution appropriation bills was
presented today and the committees are
now in shape to get to work on the mat
ter Of appropriations. The county
auditors Of the state are at work for q
new law increasing the salaries in coun-
ties of the middle class
The first reception at the residence Of
Gov. and Mrs. White tonight was large
~ attended by members of the legis-
lature and state officers.
The biennial report of the commission
er of university and school lands which
has just been issued from the printer
shows the extensive business in land
done by the state for the school fund.
The report shows the wealth of the
state school fund in lands and the large
annual revenue that is derived from
leasing and sale of the lands. A recapitu-
Iatlon OF the business done for the last
biennial period shows that q total or
$lZ3,S3S has been paid into the permanent
school fund Of the state from the sales
OF land, timber, right of way and school
sites. From the rental of lands interest
and penalty of contracts and other
sources the total sum of $27S, 1903 was paid
into the interest and income fund. which
is periodically apportioned among the
school districts of the state according to
the number of children. The grand total
OF credits to the various funds for. the
biennial period is $415, 178, and the total
credlts to the permanent school fund
OF the state to the end of the last BIZ
ennial period are 1901, 3S9, which is the
amount received from the sale of school
lands since the admission of the state
10 this is added 5 per cent of the sales
OF pubic lands, bringing the permanent
school fund up to nearly s., 900, 600
Two years ago an act was passed pro-
V1d1ng for the payment of certain fees
into the land department for contracts
leases, patents and other deeds. Under
this law in the past. sixteen months the
total amount paid into the department
is $500, which goes toward defraying the
expenses of the department.
In the first year of the last biennial pc.
Rod the department executed 2,169 leases
covering over 10000 acres of land, at a
total rental to the state of $31 900. In
the past year the department has exec
cuted 2,O95 leases, covering $4,000 acres Of
land, but the total receipts have in
creased to $4,000.
Prof Kaufman, of the state agricul-
tural college, who is assistant dairy and
self In rather embarrassing predica-
ment as the result of two contrary rul-
ings of the state legal department as to
the expenses of his office. The legisla-
ture two years ago made an appropria-
ton for the salary of the assistant dairy
commissioner, and also an appropriation
for expenses and for the conducting of
farmers institutes. Commissioner
Thomas had a verbal opinion from the
then attorney tIo 10
tons were separate, and Mr. Kaufman
proceeded along these lines, and ex-
pended some So, 400 for his salary and
the conducting of Institutes. Now tie
attorney general has given an opinion
that the one appropriation was contained
in the other and that the total amount
appropriated for all purposes was only
$4,000 Mr.. Kaufman will ask the legis-
lature to make good this deficiency. The
shortage is funds comes at a time when
Mr.. Kaufman has a number of farmers
institutes arranged for. He says these
are doing much good and the interest
in them by the farmers is shown from
the fact that there are now thirty-five
applications in for institutes. The ex-
pense of these is about $25 each, and
dates have been set for them in va
rious parts of the state up to about
the middle of March.
President Worst of the state agricul-
tural college, says the registration at
that institution is greater than ever be.
fore. There are now 1856 students TAX
ing the various courses, and Mr.. Worst
says the interest in the college by the
farmers of the state was never SO great.
In number of departments, however,
there are not sufficient accommodations
for the pupils. For example, there are
122 pupils taking a course In steam en-
cheering, and there is no hall large
enough to accommodate them and the
chapel has to be made use of in some
branches of this study. It is likely au-
thority will be asked to bond the lands
of the institution for $4,000 for the erec-
ton Of necessary additional buildings. 1t
is believed these bonds can be disposed
of without difficulty, and this fund would
place the college where 1t could accom-
modate all students for number Of
years. Mr.. Worst corrects the erroneous
impression that the college could be sup
ported with the government funds alone
The government is exceedingly particular
as to the way the funds are expended,
and the state must pay for any work
done in the college department by any
professor of the experiment station. With
regard to the two-fifths mill tax pro-
posed for the institution Mr. Worst
thinks the agricultural is as justly emit
tied to be placed on a permanent basis
II.