The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-07-29
PROVISIONS OF
new STOCK LAW
CONSIDERED WITH REFERENCE
ITO SAN JUAN ISLAND
Leading Farmers Strongly in Fa-
vor of It's Enforcement-Belteye
That More Than Three Fourths of
San Juan Lands are Fenced.

Some disappointment has been
manifested that the county commits
sloners did not, at their recent meet
ing, act upon the petition for the
enforcement on San Juan island of
the new law to prohibit live stock
from running at large. The petition
bears the signatures of between
thirty and forty well known farmers
and many more names might easily
have been obtained had it been con-
sldered necessary. The commission
ers did not act upon the matter for
the reason that the county assessor
was not prepared to certify officially
that three-fourths of the lands Of
San Juan island are under fence. and
they did not have other information
at hand sufficient to satisfy them on
this essential point. The law saws:
SECTION l. It shall be unlawful for
any kind or character of live stock to
run at large in any county in this State in
which tEree-fourths of the lands, outside
OF the incorporated cities and towns, are
under fence, or any portion of such county
three-fourths of which portion is under
fence, which such portion is separated
from the balance of said county by anv
natural barrier such as a river, range of
hills or other sufficient barrier: PRoyID-
ED, That where more than one-fourth of
any district is used for grazing of cattle or
horses on the public domain or on un-
fenced lands, such district shall be ex-
cluded from the operation of this act,
notwithstanding the fact that said county
may come within its provisions, and the
county commissioners shall designate
such townships or parts of townships
which shall be excluded from the provis-
ions of this act: PROVIDED FURTHER,
That an area or district of less than one
township shall not be considered for
this purpose.
SECTION 2. It SHALL BE THE DUTY
Of the board of county commissioners of
the respective counties of this State when
ten or more freeholders shall make ap-
plication for the enforcement of this act
to AT ONCE DETERMINE whether or not
three-fourths of the lands, outside of the
incorporated cities and towns, in such
county is under fence or whether three
fourths of any portion of any county
separated from the balance of said county
by natural barrier. is under fence.
1t appears from the above that
when "ten or more freeholders" petit
tion the commissioners for the en-
forcement of the law within a given
district it SHALL BE THE DUTY" of
the commissioners to CAT ONCE de-
termine" whether three-fourths of
the lands within the district de-
scribed in the petition are under
fence, and if SO it is mandatory upon
them to see that the law is enforced.
Section four makes it the duty of the
county assessor, ''at the time OF
making the assessment each year
to make list of the lands in the
county under fence and certify such
list to the commissioners, who must
be governed by it, The act did not
contain any emergency clause and
did not become a law until June, by
which time most of the assessors
field work for this year was COM
pleted That it was not the intent
of the trainers of the act that the law
should be imperative for year is
evident from the provisions OF section
two, and it would seem that the
commissioners should have little diff
Gully in satisfying themselves upon
the point in question, as respects
this island, without any report from
the assessor. According to all print
ed matter descriptive of the county,
in which the areas of the various
islands are given, the area OF San
Juan is 81 square miles, or 3, 3,28O
acres. which of course includes all
public highways. It hardly admits
of serious question that at least
three-fourths of this area is under
fence. We question very much if the
chairman of the board of commission
ers. who has lived on the island more
than thirty years, believes that more
than thirteen square miles of the
islands area are still unfenced. I'm
less such is the case the petition
before the board must be granted
and the stock law enforced.