The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-05
LAND BOARD ADJOURNS.
Fixed Rental of School Sections for the
Next Three Years.

Guthrie .. T., Nov 4.-The territorial
board of school land appraisers adjourned
today after having been in session TWEEN
ty-eight days. The work OF this board
has been to go over the reports of the
viewers ana classifiers and fix the rentals
on the land for the mex, three years.
The viewers personally visited every
piece of school land upon which the rent
expires this year and made report on
same, giving a full description of the
land, making plat of same showing
the location of improvements, timber,
water, etc. and giving information about
the selling prices and rental of lands in
the vicinity of each particular piece.
The board of appraisers fixed the rentals
on all Of the land except Beaver county
and small portions of Greer, and Wod-
ward, where the viewers and classifiers
had not yet completed their work. They
will meet again on November q and be in
session for week to hear complaints
from any leases who feel that an in
justice has been done them, and to re-
view their action in any case where
is deemed necessary or advisable. At this
time they will also finish the appraise-
ments OF eBaver, Greer and Woodward
counties, and the lessees on the pieces
then appraised will have a chance to APP
pear later.
The force of the school land depart
ment is busy making up lists of. the rent
ais and sending the notices to each
lessee of what his rental will be for the
next three years, accompanied by blank
application. While most of the land has
hAa. Laa hoe
in any case exhorbitant or unreasonable
when the facts in the matter are taken
into consideration. On quite a numbsr
Of pieces of land the rent was not raised
at all. In many parts of the territory
where conditions had not changed ma
terially in regard to railway transporta-
ton, etc, in the past three years, the
increase III rem tbs quite small. In other
places, the building of new railways, the
general development OF the country. he
opening up of new markets have doubled
and tribled the value of land, and the
rentals of school lands nave been raised
corTespondingly. 1t was but 81 matter
of right and justice to the school fund
and to the tax payers of the territory
that this be done. The appraisers en-
deavored in every CAGE to arrive at the
cash value of the school land. determining
what the raw land would bring at a spot
cash sale and fixing the rental at from
three to four percent of this valuation.
1t does not exceed four per cent in
half dozen pieces of land, most all of
the land falls considerably below four
per cent The greatest increase has been
in sections Of the territory which were
twenty-five OF fifty miles from the rail-
way three years ago, but now have one or
two railways within a few miles with
numerous competitive markets all around
them. The smallest increases have been
in the old settled parts of the territory
where conditions have not materially
changed.
II has been the policy Of the board
to favor the man who was actually liy-
ing on the school lane and was max
ing il a home, and those who have been
improving their leases and caring for the
land in husband nau-1ike manner have.
as rule, been given the benefit OF
smaller rental than those who do not
improve the leases nor care for the land
nor try to make a home OF the place.