The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-03
REPORT
IN LAND BOARD.
Senate Judiciary Committee
Finds Transactions Have
Been Within Law.
MAKES LENDING OF MONEY
BY BOARD MEMBEPS CRIME
Numerous Officials Prohibited
From Becoming Beneficiaries
Under Proposed Act.

The senate committee on judicisry-
| filed report with the president Of
the senate on "Wednesday relative ia its
inVestl ga tion Of the state land board IN
which the committee Substnntinlly finds
that the land board has done nothing
unlawful and advises tha, il do not
repeat the offense. The committed re.
port states that members Of the land
board have renewed loans secured from
the land board by them prior 10 their
membership on the board. saws that
there is nothing unlawful in such re.
newalf and recommends the passage Of
a measure which would make the mem.
bcrs of any board loaniGg state money
70 themselves guilty of felony.
The committee investigated the leas
! ing of state lands by W. D. Canland,
a member of the board, and found that
the lease came within the exception of
the law against leasing state lands hy
members of the board because the lease
was acquired prior 10 tie enactment; of
the law. II also juycStiga ted loans Of
which ". n. Thain and NJ NJ. Steele.
members of the board. were the benc.
! ilclarles The committee found that
these ioans were made pr or 10 the ap-
| poln,ment of these two men 10 the
board, but that the oIus bad been re.
ncwed since their appointment.
The report states that there is moth
ing IN the law agaInst such procedure A
and declares that the members of the
board acted within the law in making
such loans ana renewals. Members Of
the committee advised HAT law lie
enacted prohibiting state boards from
I loanIng money 10 members of these
boards, TO any state officer, 10 any
member Of the legislature to any OF.
the employees of any state board. Oh to
any FIRM or corporation in which the 4
members or employees Of any board are
interested. The bill was read and placed
on the calendar.
Report OF Committee.
The report of the committee follows:
Mr. Prcsident-Y committee ON lu-
dietary. that had under consideration
senate resolution No. :, hy MIR Smith,
calling upon The secretary Ut The state y
board OF land commissioners 10 furnish
complete history pf certain lands there's
in described. and also Il list OF the loans
made by The board OF land cummis5on-
crs To members thereof, or 10 firms .or i
corporations IN which members Of the
board are Interested. beg leave To re-
port That under date of January -. 1911.
the secretary OF the board. complying
with SAID resolution. furnished your com-
referred 10, together with statemcnt
Of certain loans made by the board 10
certain OF It's members. Your committee
has caused sand report To lac examined
and the conclusions TO bc drawn there-
from are follows:
That the lands described in said reso-
luton arc held by Mn Cand1nd. n meiil-
ber Of the board. under Il lease from the
board, the rights OF Mr. Candland hav-
ing accrued previous TO the l9o' LAM and
coming within the exception of the
statute prohibiting the members from
acquiring interest in any state land ex-
cept applications for land then pending,
I'll
above referred 10 Is 2369XG. compiled laws
OF Utah. 1907: and IL is our conclusion
that there is nothing unlawful pro-
hibited by Law in this lease
The secretary reports two loans Ia
member9 Of the present board one TO
Il Sons company, in which, we are in
formed. Mr.. Steele, member OF the
board, is Interested Tic loan 10 Mr.
Thain was originally made previous TO
his apuointmcnt upon the board. The
same is true as TO the loan TO steele &
Sons company having been made pre-
viouS Ia Mr. Steele appointment 10 the
board
The Thain loan as originally made has
been renewed, the last renewal being
made in January. 1911. As originally
December. 1897, secured by a mortgage
covering 3I5 acres. The loan was re-
newed and increased To $1,000 In l9Vp,
And in 1911 the loan was renewed and
the security decreased to 15511 acres;
the land covered by tho mortgage being
part of the 3I5 acres covered by the orig
nal mortgage.
Neither of these loans nor the re-
newals thereof are prohibited by law. nor
is there any statute prohibiting stals
boards which have public funds TO loan
from loaninI them 10 members or en-
poyces OF the boards. II is our opinion
that the possibility OF making such loans
should be prohibited and that there should
be an act prohibiting all state noards
which have the authority, from loanins
same 10 any OF their members. employees
state officers or members OF the legip-
lature, and there is submitted herewitn
a BILL senate bill No. ESQ., for an act
covering this subject Very respeorulys
BENNER X. SMITH. Chairman.
Tho text of the bill recommended Tor
passage by the committee is:
Section /. All state boards authorized
by Law to loan funds are hereby pro-
hihited from making any loan OF funus
IN its hands 10 any stale officer, 10 any
member Of the legislature. to any mempel
OF the board. to any OF Its employees, 10
any opartnership. association or cor
poraton in which any member or EN-
ployec Of the board is interested: and no
loan heretofore made 10 any Of said per
sons shall he renewed or extended. Any
person found guilty of violating this &c.
shall he punished as for felony.
Sec. .. This act shall take effect upon
q pproYal.