The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-07-29
'POsTP0NES SALE
COMMISSIONER ROSS HAS
IMPORTANT Announcement
Large Number of Eastern Washing
ton People Have Made
Application to Ross.

| Commissioner of Public Lands E.
. w. Ross has announced that it would
be necessary to postpone until Octo-
Der the September sale of state,
school and granted lands. The sale
was to have taken place on the first
Saturday of next month, applications
having been received from practical
ly every. county in the state, but the
last legislature failed to correctly es.
innate the tremendous amount of
business which would be done in the
state land department. AS result,
appropriations then made have fallen
so far short that without the co-ope-
ration of the press of the state bust
ness will be almost at standstill and
thousands of dollars lost to the
schools and educational institutions
of Washington.
In the fund from which is paid the
advertising of state land sales there
remains only sufficient amount to.
pay for one months business, and in
order to make that money go as fac
as it can possibly be made to go Com
missioner Ross has deemed it advis-
able to combine the September and
October sales under the latter date.
For many months the commission
er has been conserving the advertis-
ing fund by publishing individual APP
plieations in groups under single no.
tees and in this way greatly curtai-
ing the ordinary expense of that part
of his business. The fund from
which are paid the state land inspec-
ton is also all but depleted
Enough remains to pay all of the
inspectors for the current months
work, and under arrangements made
with individual inspectors by the
commissioner it will be possible to
keep three or four of the best men
of the department at work until the
legislature shall provide more
money
! In order to bring this about the
inspectors who will be retained have
agreed to carry their own expenses
and a portion of their compensation
themselves until they can be REIN
bursed by the legislature Mr.. Ross
states that he is now preparing COR
respondence with the newspapers of
the state with which his department
has done business in the past looking
to an agreement with them to adve~-
Der and January sales and wait for
compensation until the Legislature
can create a deficiency appropriation
He states that he has no doubt that
the press will meet his request as it
has throughout his administration
gone out of its way to further the adj
ministration of the states land af-
fairs. Should the newspapers find it
impossible to come to some such
agreement it is likely that Commits
sioner Ross will leave the matter of
advertising to the applicants for state
lands, requesting them to forward a
sufficient amount with their applica-
tions to cover the cost of advertising
and to rely for their reimbursement
upon later action of the legislature.
The shortage of funds in the state
land department is serious matter
to the state. BY conservative esti-
mate sum not less than $100, 900 is
the average paid down in cash as the
first payment on every sale of state,
school and granted lands This
amount is much more than twice the
expense of inspection and office pro-
cedure necessary to bring the land to
sale. As matter of fact, Commits
sioner Ross estimates that an aver
age of so acres is disposed of by the
state in every sale made.
If, through this shortage of funds,
the business of the land department
is forced to suspend, it will mean
that action can not be had upon state
lands until May or June of next year.
There are four months remaining in
the present year. and it is not likely
that the legislature will get to state
land office appropriations within the
first 80 days of its session. Under
leyery favorable circumstance trans
action involving the sale of state land
can not be taken through it's COM
plete course in less than 90 days.
Consequently, in case the legislature
fails to make an appropriation before
the month of February, 1t would be
not less than 90 days later than that
date before lands applied for could
be sold and got under contract.
By far the largest amount of land
applied for is for farming purposes.
The vast majority of the applications
now coming into the state land de-
partment are from eastern Washing
ton districts. This possible suspen-
hundreds of persons sowing state
lands to crops for next spring would
be estopped from so doing because
they could not get title to the lands
they desire to farm until too late to
take advantage of season and condi-
tions.
That the next legislature will pro-
vide sufficient amount to carry the
department through the two years
following and to make up for the de-
fciencies in this years appropria-
ton, Commissioner Ross has no
doubt.
The vital importance of the land
department to the whole people of
the state Is now, more than ever be
fore. realized by the voter and law
maker. That the schools will be per-
mitted to come to serious loss
through a policy which refuses to
give to the land office $50 or $40
with which to make for the state
1900 the commissioner does not be-