Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-02

thority to certify the contents in order
to their legal admissibility as evil
| dcnce.
| II-PUBLIC LOTS.
| 1.-The present law devolves upon the
Land Agent the care of the lots re-
served for public uses in all the town.
ships of this State not already incor-
pOra ted into towns. The right to cut
timber and grass upon such lots until
such incorporation or organization into
plantations, has mostly been sold, and
| such lots will need no care rom the
State until such organic TX IA takes
place. Upon the organization his care
is 10 protect them from trespasses.
This duty has for few years past de-
volved a great labor upon the Office.
and this labor still continues. In case
| the Land Office is dispensed with this
duty must be provided for. In very
many cases the public lots in such
townships have never been located.
| At present it is the duty of the Land
| Agent to attend to this when neces-
sary In the contingency spoken of.
| provision will be required to meet this
new state of things.
IllI-U NSOLD LANDS AND CONDl-
| TIONAL SALES.
| CAS- stated in another part of this
report. many State lands were with
drawn from the late public sale and
still remain unsOld. These will re-
| quire provision to meet the necessity
| thus existing in the absence of the
| Land Agent.
"Of the sales made during the past
year under resolve authorizing the sale
| of State lands and timber, all. except
| the public lots, were sold on credit
| for two-thrds of the consideration,
and conditional deeds given fOrbidding
| the cutting of timber without permit
from Land Agent or other legally con-
stituted agent of the State" specify
| ing the stumpage to be paid. The re-
ma Under of the settling lands now UNI
sold are also open for the sale of tim
Der upon them. Some more than 400
OOC acres Of timber lands are thus re-
naming to be guarded and overseen
until such payments are made or lands
sold and money received therefor. In
the contingency foreseen this duty is to
be provided for
|1V-SETTLERS AND SETTLING
LIZ
Early in the history of our State.
the Legislature recognized the impor-
lance of settling our extensive public
domain, then covered by dense will
derness and occupying a very large
portion of our entire territory. The
reputed rigor of our climate and the
distance of the lands from market
presented almost insuperable obstacles
to the enterprise, but notwithstanding,
the Legislators at once grappled with 1t
and with energy and Wisdom went to
work to perform it. Acts of the Leg
islature were passed to effect their |
object and these have been supple
mented by others extending down to |
the present time. A slow but constant
success has attended these efforts of |
the State and its appropriate officers
until the wilderness may now with
great truth be said Ito blossom as the |
rose Under general or special acts |
of the Legislature. more than fifty
townships and parts of townships have |
from time to time been set apart for |
settlement, and surveys made to fit |
them for that purpose. So great has |
been the success of these efforts that |
about forty of these townships have |
been so far settled that interpretations
into towns or organization into plan
tations have already taken place and |
others will soon follow. 541,G44 acres |
having been thus far actually taken up |
by about 1000 families. And the /
work is still going on with success |
hardly equalled in any former years |
of our history The number of acres
fal- mi, ha
past year for which new certificates
have been granted has been 1896. and
during the same time 1928 acres have
been conveyed to those whose previ-
Gus contracts had been satisfied by
performance of their settling duties.
4 tabular statement annexed, gives a
list of the towns and plantations thus
grown up under the fostering care of
the State through its Land Office.
showing a present population of about
O,450 souls.
THE present number of acres re-
naming unsold and unsettled in the
townships thus set apart is about l46,-
900. a considerable portion of which is
of great value for settlement, though
large part is unavailable for that pur-
pose. except as connected with other
lots. Besides these there are 1861 97 |
acres now occupied by settlers who are
working out their settling duties and
thus earning their titles. The work
thus prosecuted during the whole life
of our State thus far, is i'm its midst
at the present day requiring more at
tention from the appropriate officer
than at almost any previous timp.
The many calls for information which
necessarily are made in the prosecu-
ton of the enterprise demands a suit
able person to answer them at the
place of inquiry, and To this end the
records of the office must not only be
at his command, but he must himself
have the knowledge ready 10 impart.
An important question is then forced
upon the Legislature; if the Land Of
flee is to be abolished, what is to be
done with this most vital interest?
That ii should be abandoned after so
long a season of effort, at a time, too,
when yielding it's richest harvest,
would seem to be a folly too great to
be for a moment entertain Our