The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-11-19
REPORT IS DENIED
The STATE LAND DEPARTMENT
NOT ENCOURAGING LAND
SALES.
NO Reason Can Be Assigned For With
drawaI Of Lands From
Lease.

In regard to the reported concerted
action of the county school superin-
tents in the state of Washington to
| obtain certain changes in the school
| laws and in the meantime secure the
lease and sale John L. Murray, assist
ant state land commissioners has this
to say:
The state land department Is not
encouraging the sale of school lands
at this time, though a number Of ap-
plications are being received and al
| lowed, but there is no intention of
withdrawing the lands from lease at
present, as the department can see no
reason for the latter action.
The statement that there is a mons
| ter unOrganized steal going on among
purchasers and lessees of school lands
| is wholly imaginary. The state land
| office did a million dollar business last
year, and it would be remarkable if in
! that volume of business a few attempts
were IlOl l1ldut W SN lntit Tic Sidtc.
The attention of the department has
| been called to a small number of sales
| where there was apparently colluSlon
| among the bidders. They were very
few, however, and were scattered all
over the state. But to one complaint
of this kind that reaches the office we
receive a dozen from wouldbe pur
chasers, asking why state lands are
held at a higher figure than surround
| ing lands.
| Case From acoma.
| Every reported attempt at collision
| is investigated. A deed or contract
secured from the state through cOllu-
sion is invalid, and if any county SUI
perintendent can show this office an
| instance of that kind the matter will
| be promptly referred to the attorney
| general and an action commenced to
set aside the states conveyance. Or if
| the collision occurred in leasing, this
office has only to be convinced that
collision occurred and the lease will
| De promptly cancelled. Last week a
| Tacoma case was called to the atten-
ton of this office where two bidders
| cOnspired to secure a school land block
at much less than it's value. The mat
| ter is now in the hands of the attOr-
ney general and the setting aside OF
the contract issued by the state is a
| certainty.
All school lands sold by the state
are first inspected by a state cruiser,
who is under oath and bond to perform
his duty honestly. The lands are then
appraised and the notice of appraise-
ment posted in the county auditors
office in the county where the lands
are located for twenty days. The lands
are then advertised in a newspaper
and posted in the auditors office for
Ave weeks, and are then sold at pub
lie auction by the county auditor. 1t
is the duty of the ciunty auditor to
report to this office if it comes to his
knowledge that there has been cOllu-
sion in the bidding, or if the lands are
appraised too low. Sales are held up
by this office at least ten days await
ing possible protests. l cannot see
how the county superintendent could
conduct a sale or suggest q method
for conducting a sale that would be
any less likely to result in detriment
to the states interests than the one
now in use.
Leasing Is Fair.
Leasing is also conducted by the
county auditor at public auction. The
returns from the leasing go into the
current school fund. The land is made
more valuable by cultivation, and |
can not conceive how any one could
honestly suggest Withdrawing all lands
from lease because a few men may
succeed in securing leases at a less
rental than they should pay.
1T is hardly correct to say that land
once sold is lost to educational lnte-
rests. The proceeds go into the per-
manent school fund which is invested
and only the interest is used for the
support of the schools. The state finds
no trouble at present in loaning all the
funds in the permanent school tuna.
The income can never disappear as
long as the fund can be invested. This
is assured by provisions in both the
enabling act and the state constitution
IF a committee is actually engaged
at present in devising new laws and
new methods for controlling the state
school lands, they would work to good
purpose by ferreting out the few cases
where the state is reported to have
been swindled and present the evil
dence to the state land commissioner.
The land office is willing to co-ope-
rate with the superintendent If they
can devise laws that will be more
salutary in preventing COLLISION ana
swindling Of the state
State Superintendent K b. Bryan
who is a member of the board of state
land commissioners which has charge
Of the state lands, says that he has a
different understanding Of the purpose
Of the committee appointed by the