The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1905-01-13

S;rr ANY announcements of meetings from
which no revenue Is derived, will be publishec
free.
DlSPOSlNG OF. STATE LANDS
In a recent issue Of the Wadena
Tribune, Representative Murray
offers some -suggetiens regarding
some needed reforms in the method
of disposing of states lands. Like
Representative Cole, of Walker,
who has been urging the creation
of state immigration bureau and
the sale of public lands to actual
settlers Mr.. Murray seeks TO put
these laudsinto7 the hands of those
who will actually improve them.
Mr.. Coles plan contemplated the
thorough advertisement. of Mime
sofa land opportunities Through
the improved immigration bureau
and systematic efforts to secure and
locate settlers. It further aimed to
eliminate the>speculators <'ho, it is
asserted, combine at the :iand auc-
tions to get what land they~want at
the minimum sprioes, sell s.them at
their real value or more or failing
to get what they want, withhold
them from settlement. 1t was sug-
gested that by properly apRraising
the lands and selling them dkrect to
settlers tho ,state.could- get At, least
so per cent more for it's land and
the settler would even then got his
land cheaper than he can through
speculators. To insure settlement
Mr.. Cole suggested that land >Aon-
tracts be cancelledsunless tho pur-
chaser actually settled on the land
and improved it within a fixed time.
Mr.. Murray suggested that a more
effective plan wouldthe to adopt the
scheme, once tried by. 1.-The Northern
Pacific with satisfactory results &C
q rebate on the contract price on
proof Of Improvement. 7he North
ern Pacific rebate was one amount ;
ing to about twenty per. cent of re-
bate on land sold at $40 an acre
would net the state IS an acre and
would give the settler twenty per
cent advantage o<er the speculative
holder. The rebate proposed he
would furi,er safeguard by.EaQuiring
that the improvement made should
be at least equal in value to the re-
hate.
Since it is clear tlaat the rebate
proposed would elini0ate tho -apec-
alator and since it is in no way in
with cancellation of.oan-
4zacts for lands improved within a
fixed term, q scheme OF rebates
might we'll be evolved to encourage
Improvement and to supplement
the requirement OF cancellation,
which would efectually discourage
speculative purchasers. Tho acreage
of sale to q single indi-
vidud has been proved valueless too
often to be relied upon to do away
with the speculator. Dummy pur-
chasers arc easily found and their
operation. however, serves q pur-
pose when supplemented by other
requirements in checking the tend
ency to large holdings.
Mr.. hurry further urges that the
state lands should be disposed Of as
quickly az possible. The law at
present limits the sales to 100000
acres year, the theory being to
hold the lands for the natural in
crease in price. That theory has
prevailed since the foundation of the
state and it is thought to be a
sound one. Coupled with the re-
quirement of a minimum price per
aero it has given this state it's mag
nificeut fund. There has always
been those who believed in the
wiser policy to get rid OF the lands
quickly than to hold them until
m adequate price could be obtained.
Had these views prevailed, Mime
sofa would have been as badly off
in the matter Of school funds az the
tho states that have gained percep-
tibly in population. The speculator !
alone would have profited. Assum-
ing that evey acre of land sold
could be placed in the hands of set-
tlera and sneculativo purchasers en- |