Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-04-15
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE In
YESTIGATION FINISHED.
Timber Lands of State of Washington
Were Plundered During the Past
win Try to Recover Money Due the
State Investigation Has Cost About
$4,000 Make Recommendation.

honesty of the employees of the state
land department.
Although the time at the disposal Of
the committee was not sufficient, the
report says, to reveal all the frauds per.
petrated on the state through its land
department, nearly 200 cases have beer
found in which the state inspector made
erroneous reports of the amount of tim
Der cruised.
The evidence collected by the com
mittee will be turned over to the at
torney general, with recommendation
that he take prompt steps to recover
the. money due the state.
The system used was simple. Appli
cation was made for tract of land and
state cruiser was sent to inspect the
timber. Upon the report of the
cruiser the land commission appraised
the land. In many cases, says the re-
port, fractional part of the actua
timber was reported and valuable tim
Der land was sold for song. The re
port covers land sold in Chehalis, Cow
litz, King, Lewis, Skagit, Pierce, Sno
homish, Thurston, Wapikatum and Pa
cific counties.
The committee has expended only
$4,000 of the $4,000 appropriated al
the extraordinary session of the 1905
legislature, and there will revert to the
general fund about $4,000 of the ap
preparation.
The committee, whose task it was tC
| investigate state institutions and de
partments, is composed of Senator p. L
Allen (chairman), Senator H. o. Fish
back and Representatives w. C. Nc
Master, Howard d. Taylor and J. c
Hubbell.
State systematically Defrauded.
| Its recommendations continues:
"The looseness and laxity of the LAND
laws, the dishonesty, incompetency ant
inefficiency of cruisers, together will
other conditions, convince the commit
tee that the state has been for year
Systematically defrauded, and the PEG
pie of the state have lost millions O.
dollars by the sale of state and timbe
lands for grossly and ridiculously made
lquate consideration. Reliable cruise
that have been made under our direc
ton disclose that careless, inaccurat
and perhaps dishonest cruises hereto
fore made by state cruisers, have re
suited in the loss to the state of grea
lamounts Of money, running into incredi
Ible figures.
Schools Good.
''In addition to the foregoing irregu
larities, another source of even create
loss to the state has been the poo
Judgment disclosed in the selection O
indemnity school lands and stat
granted lands. A striking instance o
this was the selection, during the year
of 1901 to 1904, by representatives o
the state land commissioner, of abou
900 acres of land in Kittitas county
At this time there was available for Sc
lection a large area of valuable timbe
and agricultural land in the state.
"Instead of securing, for the bene
! fit of the people of the state, these va
liable lands, the land commissioner an
his inspectors made their selection
from practically worthless grain
lands, located on the hilltops in Kilt
tas county. These lands so selected ar
still owned by the state, and it
doubtful if at the time of their selectio
or now their value is more than $1.2
Iper acre.
eff the land commissioner had exel
cised proper Judgment and diligence
in the interests of the people of tn
state he could have selected land wort
at this time from $50 to $3.50 per acr'
The came conditions exist to a more Q
less extent in other counties, wher
equally worthless land was selected il
} stead of valuable timber and agricu
tural land.
"We recommend that the pext legi
lature amend the laws to provide for
land commission to be composed of or
8 elective land commissioner and tw
r members with equal authority to be al
r pointed by the governor; this commi
] sion to select from among its member
the chairman.
'Having no other duties to perform
this commission could devote their Ell
, tire time to the state Is land bushes
y thus insuring prompt attention to appl
y cations and confirmation of sales, an
9 all other matters relating to the sal
r disposition and transfer of state land
- Asks Thorough Cruise of Lands.
"We recommend further that IL
. next legislature provide for an imm
4 date and thorough cruise of all tir
!. Der lands owned by the state. Cond
lions that have existed in the sta
heretofore, and cruises that have bee
made in timber lands as indicated /
4 the schedules herewith submitte
q which disclose the defrauding of Il
. people of the state out of vast sums
4 money by incompetent and dishone
: cruisers, show the imperative necessit
: for the adoption of such remedial legi
: lation as we here suggest. This is
= lime with the policy pursued by evel
= large timber owner in the state at Il
present time, many of whom have h;