The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-05-17
THE STATE LANDS.

| A Bunch Of Conclusions Reached by
Register Long.
| The state land register rather ia
vors selling lands if one may Judge
from the rules and instructions he
formulated for the board recently, as
follows:
The state land register reaches
these conclusions:
"First-That the law requires the
state land to be either sold or leased
"Second-That not to exceed one
thirtieth of the land now available
can be sold for $40 per acre.
"Third-That the balance of the
land must be leased, even if the law
did not require it, in order to carry
on the common schools and pay in
terest on the bond issues.
"Fourth-That the land must be
leased to produce the required reve-
nue. to meet fixed charges.
"My suggestions, or recommends
lions are:
"First-That in the interest of &C.
tual settlers all lands should be sold
whenever possible, and when the sale
of particular tract does not lessen
the value of surrounding lands
owned by the state.
"Second-In order that the leasing
system of grazing land may not inter-
| fere with sales or the retaining of
land for agricultural purposes, I rec
| ommend that the leases contain a
provision reserving the right to en-
ter on the land at any time for the
purpose of constructing irrigating
bitches and canals.
"Third-1 recommend that in leases
of grazing lands the right to sell at
any rent-paying period be reserved,
QUILL 0oIC, IL HduC, " OpCl dCc do q
cancellation of the lease, to the end
that actual settlers can always have
an opportunity to get land, and am
inclined to think the same rule
should be applied to leases of agri-
cultural lands.
"Fourth-That such land as cannot
be sold be leased in quantities to suit
the lessee, always taking every posi-
BILE precaution to protect the small
stockman and give the actual set
tier adjacent to state lands the first
right to lease them
"Fifth-In selecting land, suggest
drawing lesson from the agricultur-
al college grant, that it be selected
where it can be leased, whether in
large or small tracts.
"Sixth-Under the law the state has
the right to apply to have land sur
veyed and by complying with the law
such land is reserved from settle
ment and the state has the first right
for sixty days after the survey is ap-
proved to make it's selections. I'm
der the former governor forty-eight
townships, mostly in the western
part of the state and mostly timber
land, were thus reserved. Some OBJ
lection is made to this upon the
ground that it ties up the land and
prevents and settlement for two, three
and sometimes four years, as it takes
that length of time to make the sur
vey and get it approved. AS this has
a tendency to deter settlement, I
suggest that the state make it's fur
Their selections as soon as possible,
so that all vacant land may be open
to settlement.
"Seventh-And in general respect
fully suggest the adoption of a policy
which will be effective in carrying
| out the purposes of the several
grants, provide a revenue to pay the
interest on the several bond issues,
provide a necessary income for the
support of the common schools, and
which will also, so far as this board
has the power, people the state with
actual settlers"