The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-17
Farmers Hope for Speedy En-
actment of Measure Extend
ing Time for Payment,
DECLARE STATE WOULD
DEVELOP MORE RAPIDLY
Pointed Out by Advocates of Act
That No Loss Could BE
Possible.

Members Of the senate are receiving
letters from the farmers of the state
urging the passage OF house bill NO. 9b,
by Wootton. extending the time FOR MAX
ing payments on land purchased from
the stale The bill places il within the
liscre ton of the state board OF land com
missoners To extend The Time for making
payments on the land FOR a period not
10 exceed i've years.
Those who favor tho measure say that
IL VIII he of immense benefit 10 the larm-
ers Nho are opening up ana dcNciopihS
The lands oi tho state. IL is pointeu
out that by relieving tho farmers, oil
making tho payments as thcN TAN due,
as provided by the law at present. the
state Will greatly assist IN The develop
ment OF The land and make IL possible
for the farmers to devote this money 10
development, Four years cultivation
Is said Ia be necessary before dry farm
Ing becomes , profitable undertaking.
Under the present law tho farmer must
make five payments OF his land before
Getting any proi,ia6ls returm1' returns -, vrmoEt umo1f
may be deferred until he obtains the
profits from his crops.
Land Board Given Power.
Opponents OF the measure declare that
The law VIII permit sPeculators getting.
fiyc-year option on tho public land for
10 por cent OF the total cost of the land
they say that spectators could sell the
Ianii Immediately after purchase from tile
state aud obtain tor II greaIcr rate OF
interest than the per cent which they
would Day the state. In answering this
argument those who favor the bill say
that as the extension is LEFT 10 the dis
erection of tho state land board. II is 10
he presuineh that the land commissioners
win not grant any extension until they
nave investigated and found that II rs
nscessarv 10 grant such extension in or
der To prevent the land raYertips 10 the
state through the failure OF the purchaser
To meet the payments.
Increased Value Of Land.
others declare that with the pssssge
of the nilI there is no assurance that The
purchaser viii make the deferred pay
n!ents at the end of I'VE wears. and that
there ia Q possibility that the land will
revert 10 the state after The purchaser
has had the use of II for FIVE Years for
- Per cent OF the total purchase price.
In answer to this. the farmers who favor
the bill say that AT the rate land values
in Utah are increa sing the state VIII be
elad within Hve years Ia obtain any lands
which may revert 10 il al that time.
They say that III addition 10 one tenth
Of the purchase price. the state Will get
and thst the land may he resod BY the
state AT an advance in price that viii
much more than offset the interest for
The si'e Years that has not been paid
One member OF the legislature said
that HE only objection IN the measure
Was that :, gave the state land board
pressed doubt as TO whether the land
board would always use this discretion
wisely.
Says Will Benefit State.
Represents tive Wootton said that the
bill was in line with public policy that
II would proft the state greatly 10 have
all of the lands placed under cultiva
zion and that the state had always sought
20 encourage agriculture and 10 assist
the farmer in the development of the
states agricultural resources. This bill
he believed. would he Of valuable assist
ance IN the small farmer and he set
tier The large companies and The
speculator would probably not benent by
IL. he declared because the state land
board would see 10 II that extensions
were granted only 10 bona fide settlers
and farmers who were actually develop
ine the land and not TO the persons who
we're holding the land for speculative
purposes.
The bill has passed the house and is
now under consideration of the senate
committee Oh public lands. One member
OF that committee said that the bill
would be reported favorably by the COM
mittee within 9 few days. He also ex-
pressed the belief that IL would pass the
senate unanimously.