The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1906-01-17
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close Of the year there was bur. 81, 6S2.73
past due interest on deferred payments
for the school lands to the amount of
81 1884, 176. Since the first of the year s
large part of the interest past due at the
close of the year had been paid and the
amount yet out is very small. Besides
keeping after the interest due, the de-
partment is continually adding to the
school fund as well as the various endow-
ment funds, by collecting from trespass-
ers on the different state lands. From
this source the funds Of the different state
institutions have been receiving monthly
remittances from the department. which
would never have gone to them if the
matter of trespass had not been closely
looked after. Commissioner Bach will
make a strong effort to bring the total
amount to be turned over to the public
schools of the state for this year up to
half million dollars. To do this he will
be obliged to keep every dollar of the
permanent fund at its full earning ca
pacity, and to do this is no small task,
as it requires the management of about
three million dollars, which must be kept
out all the time, or it brings no revenue.
Besides the management of this fund it
will be necessary to secure all the possible
revenue from the lands yet held by the
state for leasing purposes. In this work
he will be helped by the demand for
lands west of the river by new settlers,
who will lease tracts which have been al
lowed to lie idle in past years. In many
cases applicants from that section are
paying the lease price for last year to Sc
cure term lease, paying in fact, five
year lease price for the use of the land
for four years. Taken all together, the
state land department is getting to be the
biggest financial institution in the state,
and its management for the best interest
Of the schools is no sinecure.
President GOodner, Of the state board of
regents of education, has received drafts
from different insurance companies to
pay the losses on the dormitory building
burned at Vermillion. and the barn
burned at Brookings college. The ac-
counts were 1900 on the barn, and 49,
279 on the dormitory and contents at
Vermillion. The Vermillion loss was
probably the first paid in the state under
the provisions of the valued policy law.
The law went into effect on the first Of
July, and the policies were written on
that date. The fire which destroyed the
building occurred on the Fourth of July
and the payment was made in full under
the provisions of the law. Under present
laws the amount received from insurance
goes into a special fund which is avail
able for reconstruction of the burned
buildings. Formerly insurance payments
on public buildings went into the general
fund and were only available after the
Legislature had met and appropriated
the money for a specific purpose. This
was considered hardship, and the law
was changed to allow such insurance
money TO at once become available for re-
building purposes.
An investigation of the statutory provi-
sions shows that the people of western
Stanley and Lyman County have a long
road before them before they secure the
county organization which they desire.
Section /. of Article TX. of the consti-
tuition says: "The legislature shall pro-
vide by general law for the organization
of new counties, locating the county seats
thereof, and changing county lines. All
changes in county boundaries in counties
already organized, before taking effect,
shall be submitted to the electors OF the
county or counties affected thereby, at
the next general election thereafter, and
be adopted by a majority of the votes
cast il each county at such election.
Counties now organized shall remain az
they are unless changed according to the
above provisions This constitutional
provision shows plainly that nothing can
be done in the way of county division
without legislative enactment, which
same Shall be submitted to the voters of
the whole territory affected at the next
general election thereafter.
The great value of small artesian wells,
such as can be secured ut q cost Of only
a few hundred dollars each by the farm
ers in the greater part of the state lying
east of the Missouri River, is shown by
the practical use to which such a well is
put by III. L. Zimmerman, Miner Coun-
ty farmer. Zimmerman is the owner
of $50 acres Of land The buildings upon
his farm are of the most modern charac-
ter One Of the features of his large
tract of land is an artesian well, which
has flow of "a gallons per minute. This
is only baby well compared with some
of the large artesian wells Of South Da-
kota, and yet the surplus water from it
has formed lake covering about five
acres. The lake is filled with fish, With
power derived from the artesan well
operates corn shelter, cream
separator, churn and washing machine,
In addition, the surplus water from the
well can be utilized for irrigating such !
portions OF his farm as necessary.
Il. l.. Yokum, Of Pierre, purchased a
pair of full-blood calves from the Philip
buffalo herd, and is at present breaking