The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-12-31

mittee on state lands and timber
conferred with the timber board and
the land commissioner about these
matters, and then introduced GER
tain new regulations to better con-
form with the conditions, but the
bills were buried in the last rush of
the session. One of the rules was
that county and local shool officers
should be agents of the land depart
ment make regular reports to same
on conditions of land and timber
treepass, ETC., in their districts, and
where any fines for treepass were
collected, all, or part, should go to
the local school district.
Another rule was that the pre-
sent system Of selling timber by
standing estimates should be dis
continued, and in pine, saw logs,
ties and poles, sale% should be
made on bank scale or count
And third, and most important
to the settlement of the north
country; to discontinue the cash
estimate sales by forties or sections,
giving two years permits with one
years extensions, but sell such
mixed timber only at regular land
sales as the auditor now is doing
on small amounts of mixed timber)
one of the main objects gained
would be to stop the present
waste, to permit holder of three
years use of lands without taxes
to the community, and also three
years interest on the purchase of
the land to the school fund, while
on the other hand this mixed tim
Der is of far more encouragement
and value to the actual settler (and
the community as above) than to
transient logger, as settler can
take his time in removing same
with his own laborers he clears
the land, thereby working at home,
opening a farm, paying taxes and
spending the loggers' profit in the
development of the local commun-
ity, as labor represents on that
mixed timber in most cases IS
per cent to 80 per cent of the mar
ket value and the state stumpage
price from 10 per cent to rs per
cent only, like cedar post bring
ing the state an estimated stump
age price of q per cent and pulp
wood SOC per cord, when cut and
hauled out.
The labor and a reasonable
margin for logging or manufacturing
will amount to from eight to nine
times the stumpage value, the same
in jack pine lath bolts and even ties.
Under the present system the
permits hold the lands out of the
settlers hands and off the tax list
for an average of three years, and
when the settler gets it, he gets
stumpy barren to improve, and has
to go away from home to work for
others, while, if we changed the
rules and sold this timber to the man
who will settle on it and improve
the place, he will have work at home
at good margins. Whether the state
gets all cash down for the timber at
the time of sale would be immaterial,
as the cash must be loaned out, and
interest can only be used, and in
case of part time on the timber,
under safe precautions, the state
would get it's interest in advance,
which it gets on its loans after the
year is past, and also fully as good,
if not better prices.
Let Bemidji people consider if
rules along such lines were adopted,
would it help the north country'S
development, and be a good adver-
tisement on which to bring in
settlers to buy state lands? 1t is so:
1t will be good for Bemidji, and let
us bring pressure to bear upon the
Timber Board and land department,
so that at the coming land sale next
spring, north of here, they have the
lands appraised with above object
in view as far as present law allows
them, and then also see that the
public opinion is moulded in favor
of it strong enough so that the next
session of the legislature will heed
our demands for fair treatment of
north country interests.
We should cultivate the rail
roads interest in our development
ideas, get them to pull with us in all
moves and get them to encourage
industrial plants here at Bemidji for
the rough products Of the timber
and soil by special rates for each in.
dustry. The railroad will be found
fair, provided we show them that it
is our mutual interest and that they
will make money by such rate en-.
couragement. Our commercial club
should have freight rate bureau.
Suggestions as to a few of the
many things we should work for in
1908 and get established here: