The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1911-11-10
STATE AUDITOR TAYLOR
DEFENDS LAND SALE

BOISE, Nov. 1O.-Final action was
taken October 9th in the transfer Of
$4,000 acres of land to w. d. Humis-
ton, acting for the Potlatch Lumber
company Secretary of State Clifford
| who has been absent from the capital
today affixed his signature to the
deeds, these documents having previ-
ously been signer by Gov. Hawley
and Register Jenness. By this trans
fer the endowment funds of the state
were enriched to the amount of $780,
900, which the land board will pro-
coed to loan to the farmers of the
state at six per cent interest, and the
revenue to be derived therefrom can
| be used for the support of the educa-
tional institutions of the state.
The sale of these lands has been a
long drawn out controversy. The mat
ter first came up more than year
ago, and the sale was attacked in
the courts on the ground that the land
board had no right to transfer these
lands The matter was thrashed out
in the supreme court of the state, and
a unanimous opinion handed down sus-
tanning every contention OF the land
board The sale was, however, de-
ferred until the new land board could
make a personal inspection of the
lands, which inspection was made last
June, Governor Hawley, State Auditor
Taylor and Secretary of State Clifford.
personally visited the lands.
AS a result of their investigation
the land board again voted to proceed
with the sale, but some 5000 acres of
possible agricultural value was cut
out of the original application, SO
that instead of selling 24,000 acres, the
number of acres sold was approx
mately $4,000. The lands actually
sold are of mountainous character, and
of little or no value for agricultural
purposes. While the matter was I'M
der consideration by the board num-
erous communications were received
both for and against the sale. While
the majority of the members of the
land board are republican in politics
the most enthusiastic letters approving
the sale came from democrats high in
the counsels of the party, thus pre-
Guiding the possibility of this question
becoming a partisan one The regents
of the university, which institution is
the chief beneficiary Of the sale, were
pronounced in their approval of the
transfer. The land board claimed
that by taking advantage of the pecul
lar necessities of the Potlatch Lumber
company, which had previously pur-
chased the timber standing upon this
land, they were enabled to make a |
business transaction resulting in de-
cided advantage to the state and to
secure a price for the land very much
in excess of it's actual worth.
State Auditor Taylor today when
asked for statement of the beneficial |
land said:
Looking to the future, there are two
features in connection with the sale of
,hese lands that are particularly graft
'ying to me- One is the accumulation
n our endowment funds of $190,000,
which money can be loaned to the
armers of the state, at a low rate of
interest, at time when they are great
y in need of the money and at time
when the money is seriously needed
n the channels of business, and the
urther fact that the interest on this
arge. sum of money will be available
or the growing needs of our state in
titutions, particularly the university, |
n whose funds there will be a defic-
ency before the end of the biennial
eriod. The other feature that | re- {
er to is that by reason of the ar