The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-02-03
PRICE OF STATE LANDS.
Laws to be CHARGED Regarding
Sale of State Lands.

Wadena. who has taken an active in.
terest in promoting the settlement of
the northern half Of the state. has in
PRODUCED in the house a bill for regu-
lating the sale of state lands which
has one meritorious feature.
The present law gives the state
auditor sole power to fix the price of
agricultural lands as long as he does
not fix it below S. per acre. This is
an error and Mr.. Murray's bill pro-
poses to correct it by taking this
power out of the hands of the state
auditor and placing 1T with board
of appraisers TO be composed of three
members. one to be appointed by the
governor and not to be a resident of
the county in whiclItbe land is sit
uated, one by the gov ernor's appointee
to be resident of the county where
the land lies, and tile third by the
county board.
This would be an cal arrangement
but Mr.. Murray SEES to spoil it all
by Incorporating in lis bill provS-
ion that no state LAID shall be sold at
less than Sc per aclf The present
minimum is S. per Gre. and that is
too high. The stat owns thousands
Of acres Of land thst is not worth
that much per acre at the present
time. The minimAm price should
not be over SO per and $3.50
would be better yet
There are large teicts of cEt-over
pine lands in the lads of private
owners that are forSfhle at these fig
ures and even lesk and the state
owns much land thasSis not worth a
WulG more Gtlan SokflS OF JneSe CUT
over lands, ..
There are lands 70 tae Little Fork
valley which were RECENTLY selected
as indemnity school lands by the state
auditor, upon which he Immediately
put minimum price Of $40 per acre,
while lands just as good and better,
lying right alongside are given away
by the federal government. Take for
instance town 64-2l in the valley of
the Willowriye1 which flows into the
Little Fork. The state recently Sc
lected practically all the lands IN that
town not.included, within the Indian
reservation. and not already taken up
by homesteaders. What is the result?
The homestead claims are so few and
the state lands so many that the few
homesteaders are unable to accomp-
lish anything in the way of road build
ing and other improvements. The
state lands are not worth at the pres
ant time the price that has been fixed
upon them by the auditor, with the
result that actual settlers can not be
induced to buy them, and settlement
is retarded.
The state ought at least to offer
those lands to actual settlers on the
same terms as cut-over lands in that
territory are offered. at from $3.50 to-
So. SO per acre. What is the practical
use of establishing board Of land
appraisers if they are not permitted
to use their own judgement and be
guided by local conditions In placing
a value upon the lands? If their val
uation should be too low, the state
would still be protected by offering
the lands to the highest bidder. Land
spectators would not permit the
lands to go at too low price.
In fact, as the Herald has frequent.
ly said, and as Representative Hugo
pointed out in a recent interview,
''it would be better for the state to
give away it's lands to actual settlers,
rather than to hold them back and
keep them from producing wealth. and
taxes.n
If it is the desire Of the people OF
Minnesota to develop the northern
part of the state and prevent its citi-
zens from moving to Canada, the.
state must offer nearly as liberal
terms as are offered by the Canadian
government to induce settlement and
improvement. 1t must at least be as,
liberal with the actual settler as the
federal government.