The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-12-24
NEW LAND LAWS
STATE COMMISSIONERS CALVERT
makes HIS REPORT.
Business OF Land office Has Ale
ready Oufgrown Laws Creating
lf-COmpefifive Bids for Lane
Leases and Better Protection
for Timber Recommended.

port of State Lana commissioners jail
vert has been filed with the governor.
The document is voluminous, covering
1876 typewritten pages and entering
into detail in the business Of the vari-
ous departments of the office. As the
land commissioner points Qua, through
the uuequalled growth and prosperity
of the state, the business for to bien-
NAL period just closed exceeds that Of
any four years in the history Of the
Office.
The business Of the land Office has
aalready outgrown the very laws Gre
ating it, and Mr.. Calvert recommends
not only a marked increase in the salary
of the commissioner, but points out the
need of increasing the bond of the
commissioner from $4,000 to $780,.
900 and placing his chief deputy I'M
der $50, 900 bonds. Average cash bal
anoes for the day approximate, $780,
900, which is quoted as evidence Of
the necessity of higher bonds.
Proposes Changes in Laws.
Along with other recommendations
Land Commissioner Calvert voices
his disapproval of the Mccoy act reg
ulating the sale of state numbered
lands. He condemns the measure as
pernicious and unjust to the school in
terests Of the state; as excluding from
the list of customers of the state all
who are not prepared to log off at once
the timber from state lands they may
purchase. The repeal Of the measure,
he says, would increase the funds of
the state for educational purposes from
10 to 80 per cent.
He recommends change in the law
permitting the sale of timber 80 as to
allow at least ten years for its removal
from state lands. The commissioner
disapproves the leasing Of timbered
lands, as often the lands are leased
and. the valuable timber is removed
under the guise of clearing the land
for agricultural purposes. In re-leas-
ing state lands he recommends the ad-
vertising Of the property and leasing
to The highest bidder.
Better Forest Protection.
The state law for the protection of
timber lands from fires is inadequate.
The state has 500, 900 acres Of tim ber-
ed lands, and the present system is en-
tirely insufficient for it's protection.
he recommends the employment Of a
fire warden in each timbered county
at the states expense, the county to
pay for the deputies required.
ho 10 nd ,ioof b.
request of State Superintendent R. B.
Bryan that he be relieved by legisla-
tive enactment from the mem bership
on the state land commission, owing
to the already onerous duties of his
Office. The land commission is COM
posed Of the land commissioner, score
tary of state and state superintendent
of public instruction, the latter being
placed on the board by reason of the
great financial interest that the educa-
tional institutions Of the state have in
the different educational grants and
funds arising therefrom. Mr.. Bryan
requests that the state treasurer or
state auditor be substituted in his
place.
Tide Land Purchases.
In the tide land department. the land
commissioner opposes the plan, which
may be crystallized in legislation at
the coming session, of giving lessees
OF tide lands a preferential right to
purchase at the appraised valuation.
On the subject of irrigation. the
work already accomplished in akima
county is reviewed. and state control
of the head waters Of the Yakima is
urged. The commissioner favors an
irriagtion code similar to that of Idaho
A recapitulation of the many tables
of the report shows that the receipts
OF the state land Office for the two
years were 81. $50, 991.98