Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-04-15


their timber cruised by different cruis-
ers from four to six times.
Great Loss by the State.
"The committee further finds that
under the prevailing laws governing the
lease of state lands great loss has
been and is being sustained by the
state. We believe that the plan of
leasing farm lands or city lots, and al
lowing the lesseess to place improve
ments thereon, for which they are to be
reimbursed at the time of sale, is great
| ly to the detriment of the state. We
have found that property on which i'm
provements of any considerable value
have been placed by lessees seldom sells
for more than the appraised valuation,
while land of the same general charac-
ter, with no improvements, will often
bring from three to four times the price
Of that upon which improvements have
been placed. We therefore recommend
that if any land is to be leased here
after, the improvements which are made
on the same shall become the property
of the state, and the lessee shall in no
way have any claim for the same.
Use Of Logging Rights Of way.
| ''We recommend that in all future
grants of rights of way for logging
purposes or logging railroads across
state lands, the state impose as an ad.
ditional obligation on the part of the
grantee the duty to carry for grantees
of other state lands or his successors in
interest such timber or timber products
as are tributary to the logging road or
logging railroad constructed upon or
across state lands, during the period of
its active operation.
Legislation to this end should be
carefully safeguarded. 1t would not be
fair, for instance, to require such
grantees to become common carriers for
all persons, nor would it be fair to
/ compel them to maintain their roads
and equipment and impose upon them
the duty to carry if their own opera
tions in the territory had ceased. An
act might be drawn containing the con-
ditions above suggested, providing that
timber and timber products offered
should be carried at such rates as
might be agreed upon between the car
rier and the grantees of the state or
their successors in interest, providing
further that in the event of failure to
agree upon the terms of carriage, such
terms might be fixed by the railroad
zee; ln,,k IN, 20 ka
than the cost of service, with definite
percentage of profit; and that car
rage of timber or timber products for
the grantees of the state lands should
not constitute the carrier common
carrier nor require it to furnish trans
Eportation for the public generally.
How Olympia Bank Profits.
| "The investigations of the committee
show that the land commissioner has
had an average balance to his credit
during the last five years of over
$4,000. This money has been ON de
post with the Capital National bank
and the state is not protected by g
bond, as is the case with money de
posted by the state treasurer. Neither
has the state received any interest or
the moneys SO deposited, as provided
upon moneys deposited by the state
treasurer We can see no reason why
these funds should be treated in diff
ferentSmanner from the funds deposited
by the state treasurer; and we there
fore recommend legislation providing
for bond securing the state for mon
eys SO deposited, to be given by the
bank acting as depository for the same
and that they be required to pay inter
est at the same rate as provided fol
moneys deposited by the state treas
urer.
Irregularities in Eastern Washington
''In closing our report we feel tina
we must again call attention to the in
complete investigation of the land de
lpartment for lack of time, We hav'
not been able to even touch upon tn,
sales or leases of farm and irrigated
lands of eastern Washington, or the tid'
and shore lands of the whole state. w,
have nowhere near completed the worl
: of investigating sales of timber anC
timber lands. We have had our atten
ton called repeatedly to alleged irregu
larities pertaining to sales and leases il
eastern Washington and in regard t
tide and shore land sales. We hal
: hoped and expected to be able to inves
/, tigate these complaints, but it was abso
lutely impossible for us to do so.
"We desire at this time to recon
: mend in the strongest terms possible tn
advisability that the next legislator
should appoint a committee to continu
the work already begun by this com
: mittee. -
Committeeman J. c. Hubbell, who j
I i'll, was unable to sign the report.
Lumber Company Land Grab.
! The committee, in its investigation o
the land department, began with rec
erds of transactions from the time tn
state was admitted to the Union, 2
years ago, hence time for researehe
has been inadequate, but among tn
/. startling disclosures is that of opera
tions of the Silver Lake Railway an
, Lumber company in Cowlitz county