New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-02
STATE SALT MAKING.
GRADUAL. ABANDONMENT OF OWNER
SHIP OF SPRINGS ON ONION
DAGA LAKE
DAGA LAKE.


While the State Democratic platform advocates
government ownership, the State itself is rapidly
closing out it's only commercial enterprise. namely,
its ownership of the Onondaga Salt Springs Reser-
walton at Syracuse. on September Il, l1Ns, the
Onondaga Indians sold to the State OF NewYork a
"trip of land extending around Onondaga Lake.
comprising some twenty thousand acres, on cond.-
ton that lit shall remain forever for the common
benefit of the people of the State of New-Yorh and
the Onondagas for the purpose OF making salt
The State maintained its salt making enterprise
until 1874, when the Legislature passed law allow
fng such lands to be appraised and sold which did
not conflict with the business Of manufact Iring
palt made from brine furnished by the State from
Abe springs So great the pressure on the
Gtate by individuals demanding all the remaining
salt lands that in 1895 a law was passed directing
that the realty and personally in the surface
rights and salt springs be sold and that the Office
of State superintendent Of salt springs should
that day when all the property of the state
should have been disposed Of on the passage OF
this law State appropriations to maintain the state
superintendent offices at Syracuse ceased and the
official has since maintained his office ana the
business of furnishing brine to manufacturers from
the duties assessed the salt manufactured save
that he receives salary of $3.50 from the State.
There are less than five acres Of property left
belonging TO the State" said State Superintendent
Charles Hiscock recently. land ! am merely mold
ing my breath and office until this property dis
posed OF. The State itself has not lost or been
unsuccessful in the conduct of the enterprise On
the contrary, from the duties assessed salt the
Erie Canal was largely constructed. 1t is private
enterprise that has been hurt by State ownership
and it is private enterprise that has been and is
pushing the State out of business. How pri-
vate enterprise pay duty OF one cent bushel of
hfty-six pounds salt manufactured from state
brine when manufacturers elsewhere have no du-
ties to pay? Herein is the vital question of gov
eminent ownership eXempfed 1t brushes the
terprise of the citizen"
The remaining five acres belonging to the State
consisting mostly of the brine springs and their
Immediate surroundings. have not been sold be-
cause of the objections all the manufacturers
have to any one of several manufacturers possess
ing the springs. the of the salt. They
want equitable division of the property
among themselves that person corpora
ton shall get control of the whole business I'm
mediately the passage of the law of 1898 the
Mutual Pipe Line Company made application to
purchase all the remaining State property. The
Attorney General and the Secretary of State voted
in favor of the proposition. the company left
IL entirely to the State officials to fix the purchase
price. The State Controller and the State En-
gineer and Surveyor voted against the propo-
stion. So great the opposition to the
sale by the manufacturers. and so many pro-
tests were filed, that the application was
denied. and the State lost it's chance to go
entirely out of the business of State ownership.
But since ttat date the State holdings have de
creased from some fifteen acres to about five acres
and this remainder is being reduced in small lots
The end cannot be far away. as the State cannot
with dignity continue TO carry a picayune bust
that the next Legislature will order a peremptory
sale of what remains of the once Onondaga Salt
Reservation, notwithstanding IT'S solemn compact
with the Indians, and the fact that the surviving
Indians still demand and receive free salt from ts
State.