The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-07-06

aSN tHcW WudL lucy are Wiling TO
give" wrote Mr.. Edwards, they in
variably answer, make the offer $40
per acre, as l understand the state
would sell for that figure If you have
no intention of disposing Of these
lands at such a figure, it is useless to
be making out applications at that
figure, and on the other hand you can
not expect man to offer you more
than he thinks he might have to pay"
Mr.. Long, in his reply, gives the pol
icy that will be pursued. While it re-
fers mainly to the Flathead county
lands that are largely covered with
timber it is of considerable interest
to prospective purchasers of lands
elsewhere.
In reply will state that the above
expressed idea is not correct, and it is
simply a waste of time to make an
offer of $40 for land that is worth
SIS or $40" says Mr.. Long in his let
ter to Mr.. Edwards. IF the land was
not under lease the manner Of selling
it would be simplified, as it could be
re-appraised and then all offered again
at public auction. But being under
lease and the leases expiring at diff
ferent times, it does not seem possi-
BILE to sell it except at private sale.
I'm conversation with different
members of the state board of land
commissioners l learn that at the
time the order to sell was made it
was not contemplated that the leased
land would be sold until the expiration
of leases. But if it is sold prior to
such expiration you can readily see
why the offer should be fair and ade-
quate.
Let me illustrate. Until the lease
expires the land could not be sold to
anyone unless the lessee would con-
sent. The lessee therefore is the one.
who says whether the land can be
sold. Suppose he wants to buy and
offers $40 per acre and another per-
son offers SIS per acre and the lessee
will not give SIS. until his lease ex-
pires. During the life of the lease
it will be re-appraised by the stat,
there is no competition, therefore. he.
fore the land will be scld to the lessee
land agent, and unless the lessee will
pay the appraised value it will not be
sold. Land that Is worth only SO
will be sold Tor $40; land that is
worth more must bring the appraised
value.
For the reasons stated, unless the
offers from lessees is somewhere near
the real value of the land, it would
seem hardly worth while 70 go to the
expense of re-appraising leased land.
ii the lessees will not give what the
land is worth but at the same time
prevent others buying, and the state
board can only Judge by the amount
offered, it will delay the selling of
land in Flathead county for quite a
while. A number of applications from
Flathead county have been received
and in most the offer has been only
SO, and under the direction of the
board l have written each one, that
as soon as possible the state land
agent would go to Flathead and re-
the land, and until that was
done no further action would be taken.
"As soon as a sufficient number of
have been received to
justify the expense of re-appraisement
it will be made, provided the offers
are somewhere near what the land
would be sold for. This letter is writ
ten after consultation with different
members of the board and it might
be of sufficient interest to prospective
purchasers for you to give it general
circulation.
Il would sum up the whole matter
by saying that unless present lessees
will give what the land ought to
bring, it will be held and sold after
the leases expire to the highest bid