The Grit-advocate., 1903-06-05
Sale of School Lands.

state school lands by the State Land
the following signed statement:
The majority membership Of the
present board is not at all worried by
the attacks against it during the past
week We are acting in our judgment
for the best interests of the state, OF
which each county and every local
school district is part, and these
, questions must be decided more or less
from a judicial standpoint, having all
these interests in view.
I'VE have not established a policy
of selling state lands
We have recently ordered several
small lots of land sold, usually in for
/ ty, eighty and 160-acre tracts. where
the applicants have established homes
and for years have been the tenants of
the state, having invested all their saw
| lngS in improvements on state lands,
and where to have compelled them to
follow the leasing system would have
| been rank injustice. These lands will
! provide revenue from direct county
and school district taxation far in ex-
cess of the pro rata division of the rev.
enue derived from leasing them. At the
same time, it puts the owners home
on foundation secured by a deed to
the land. and does away with the
shaky title secured by lease, under
which the improvements on state lands
come to the market every time the
lease is renewed, because of the fact
that any person is at liberty to enter
bid for the land. Our action secures
for these purchasers and their families
permanent residence in our state,
which their improvement of the land
sold shows they were striving to win.
"A few counties are overloaded with
state lands. The continued rental OF
these lands, if the narrow policy of not
selling anything was adopted. would
retard the development and progress OF
their school districts as well as the
counties themselves.
"The land board which Immediately
preceded us appears to have held the
same views 1t sold in 1902 $3.50
acres of state lands. and in most in
stances the sales appear to have been
ordered by unanimous vote of the
| board. The average price was about
$S per acre. The records show that in
addition to the above the board unani-
mously voted to order a sale of 1,76O
acres in Otero county on September ~,
1902. at which time it appears to have
established a policy of requiring the
very limited period of residence on the
land to six years.
| The present land board has unani
| mously ordered the sale of about 1000
| IN lo,, in
Conejos county, the land being situated
of Sc per acre; about 500 acres in 9TH
er parts of the state, several reservoir
cites, and has unanimously rejected ap-
| plications for sale of about 1000 acres.
AT its last meeting the Republican
majority Of the board ordered several
sales to be made, one of them receiv
ing the unanimous vote of all the men,
bers. Some of them are in Otero coun-
ty, and minimum prices were fixed at
SIS and 500 per acre. Another was to
the Sugar Land and Irrigation Com
pany. This company was allowed to
| purchase One-half of section for the
erection OF a beet sugar factory and
trackage IN Adams county. In addition
| to paying So per acre for the land, they
| have contracted to furnish water for
irrigating other state lands to the
value of $4,000. and which will easily
make the balance of the section sell for
$3.50 per acre.
| perhaps this Is injurious to the
school fund. If it is we want also to be
| blamed for bringing the state land Of
| flee up to date in its work We found
chaos when we took office. To-day it is
in order, working smoothly, and the
work is not tagging behind in any de-
partment.
I'VE are constantly increasing the
| acreage rented.
I'VE are making uniform raises in
rentals of from twenty-five to fifty per
cent. Where the old board was salts
| fled to receive 20 cents an acre for
farming lands we are securing in no
case less than 80 cents. and in some
cases as high as IS cents per acre
Prices now will average about 40
cents.
I'VE found $4,000 due the state on
old certificates of purchase which
could have been collected by former
boards had their interest been as keen
in school fund matters as it is at this
time. We will collect large part OF
this money, but in number of in
state.
We found the office full of disputes
and contests that have hung fire for
years. and probably should be censured
for bringing about settlement of the
controversy between the North and
Middle Park cattlemen, whereby the
state school funds will derive a reve-
nue. of $4,000 per year. For eight
years previous to this time those lands
have not brought a cent of revenue to
the school funds.
THE majority of the board expect
criticism. but we concede to none
greater interest in Colorado's schools
or institutions than we possess. There
will probably be sales of state lands or
dered in the future when the showing
made before the board justifies such
action We promised the people of this
ctata bnSineSs admins rat jpn and