Omaha daily bee., 1911-12-20
Nebraska
DISCUSS SCHOOL LAND LEASE
Board Will Investigate Chase County
Appraisement.
MANY RENTALS ARE DELINQUENT
state Labor Bureau VIII Have Crop
Statistics Ready in Two Weeks
in More Complete Form
Than Heretofore.
CFrom a Staff Correspondents

LINCOLN, Dec 1s.--(Special) Judge
Burk and County Clerk Prall Of Chase
county today conferred with the Board
of Industrial Lands and Funds concern
ing the appraisal of school and university
lands in that county, asking that IL be
reduced. They asserted that in many
instances as high as $50 per section lease
money was paid while, according to their
statement fully as good lands could be
leased from private persons for much
less, I'm some instances for one-half.
The board took no action on the matter,
but will investigate and in case the cir
cumstances are thought to warrant may
order n new appralsement. They may
also, II they desire, decmide to declare
resent leases forfeited where rentals are
delinquent. Owing to crop conditions in
that section much of the lease money
is delinquent, but the board has hesi-
tated to forfeit the leases for the reason
that many were really unable to pay,
and the board had hoped they would
when conditions were bettered. The
hoard has asked the Chase county men,
as a preliminary to the investigation by
the board that they send in an estimate
of their valuation Of the lands for leas-
ing purposes.
Normal Board to Meet.
The state normal board will meet in
regular session tomorrow. In addition to
routine business, the board viii decide
what should be done to replace, either
temporarily or permanently. the pump
house, engine and pump of the Peru
normal water supply system, which was
destroyed by fire recently
Labor Bureau Busy.
The state labor bureau is busy Just
now finishing up the compilation of crop
statistics. Mr.. Guye hopes to have the
figures ready to give out in about two
weeks. The report this year will be
much more complete, Mr.. Guye says,
than ever before In addition to crops
it will contain figures on the amount of
idle land as well as that under crop,
in each county in the state. The figures,
he says, will surprise most people in the
showing of the percentage of Nebraska
land which is now idle. In practically
every county in the state more than SO
per cent of the land is non-productive
for some reason or other, largely because
the owners do not care to cultivate 1t.
For the purpose of these statistics, he
considers hay land and pasture land as
cultivated land, the same as that In crops
requiring actual cultivation.
State warrants Received.
The state treasurer's office is busy
receiving and taking up registered state
warrants on the call for $4,000 worth re-
Gently issued. Monday $3.50 worth were
received and up to noon more than $40,
coo worth had been received today. 1t is
estimated that couple OF days more
will suffice to clear up this call and
then one will be issued for $4,000 worth
more. With the settlements with county
treasurers after, the first of the year Mr..
George anticipates that still larger blocks
of the warrants may be called in.
e. l.. Redfern, state chemist, is in
in Minden attending the case of the
state against Larson, charged with
manipulating cream tests.
Judge Benjamin S. Baker came from
Omaha today and circulated among the
republicans in the Llndell lobby, who
were here to attend the Taft rally. Incl.
dentslly. he said. he visited the secre-
tary OF stat and filed his petition as a
candidate for congress on the repub-
lcan ticket in the Second district Mr.
Baker said that he understood Howard
II. Baldrige would soon file for the
same office, but was not inclined to
discuss. publicly at least, his own
chances.