The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-10-17
DRINKERS REPORT IS
INTERESTING RESUME
OF LAND OPERATIONS
Land Commissioner Gives Ac'
count Of Steps Taken During
His Stewardship.

Pierre, 81. D.. Oct. Elm the btens
NAL report just fled With the govern
OF. OF Land Commissioners =. II Brink
or n detailed history is given Of y two
years administration. and sOme I'm
portant recommendations are made.
When taking office two years ago MI.
Bfinker found much work before HIM
The people had recently approved .
constitutional amendment providln9
for q law for leasing state lands for
farming purposes, and agreement had
been entered into for the exchange DI
the state lands In the forest reserve
for a compact body; congress- q VrQ-
vided for the opening Of MelIstte and
Bennett counties, In which there was
SIS, 600 acres OF school lands which had
been allotted to The Indians, and FOR
which lieu lands had 70 be selected ~
yfher places; and last, there was no
comprehensive aw defining the duties
of his department.
Under his suggestion the school
land lease law wa enacted, unuer
uniform rat for each connty, but each
tract Is appraised and a rental hxed
according to value. The total rentals
FOR the past year amounted 70 $Szy,-
73I .e6, an increase OF $50, 79S.64 IN the
face of u~nfavorable CONDITIONS tot
lands leased for farming. Mr.. Brinkef
states that additional evenu could pc
secured without injury to the lands hy
q minimum rental OF 81 per acre, ~
gether with d bond or q half payment
in advance. and providing for Q ~
year lease, enabling the lessee 70 put
up permanent improvements instead
OF the present hye-year limit.
The department sold I9,zt6.8S acres
In 1871 at an average or $5Z.0S, p ~
45e.48 acres in 1912 at $47.25, the lower
price in the latter year being because
Of the large sale Of rocky land IN Day
and Marshall counties.
The great work OF the department
was exchanging OF the forest reserve
school lands for compact bodies or
lands In Custer county, ingthe Harvey
Peak reserve. and In Harding county,
In the Short Pine Hills reserve. There
Is over zoo, 100000 board feet of mer-
Charitable lumber In the Harvey Peak
tract. and the commissioner urgss the
creation OF a state department OF for-
estry 10 properly preserve II from hre
and piIlaGes This would cost much
less than the venue
The state has filed on 30,646,99 acres
In Mellette and 27.3zs.07 acres in Benz
net counties Of indemnity lands. Chas.
H. Bates. government ail0tting agent
0nFthe Pine Kidge reservation aps
that they are a. uua1ter of million
acres short of enough land for b Iri-
dams on that reservation; hence Mr.
DIlNkEIF ACCiS# tAl0NE ~ 49,
make selections for tine state In othes
places, and TO that end recently made
q long automobile tour through the
west part of the state inspecting avail
able lands, The same general condi-
tions obtain in the Rosebud. Standing
Rock and Cheyenne River reservations,
and the commissioner recommends that
the state be- permitted to select It's
lieu lands in one body rather than be-
Ing limited TO two sections to q town
ship,
The permanent school fund amounts
to $s,037.755.9O derived from the sale Of
3g6, 098.T6 acres. The sales OF endow-
ment lands briggs the fund under the
direction OF this department up 70
31O.143,S 31. 23. or this $3,918,874 is still
put at 6 per cent on deferred payments
ON lands, and the balance. $6,226,95G.36.
Is loaned out, mostly at s per cent, Ap-
plications are on hand for several hun-
dred thousand dollars, for which there
are no funds, This fund has had q
decidedly beneficial effect In Keeping
down the rate OF Interest within the
state. $..4S was apportioned from this
interest for every school child. This ts
the largest pro rata ever, and also
represents the largest net gain.
Together with endowment funds for
educational and charitable institutions,
$S62, &49 was collected as rental and In
teFest, making q grand total OF $7,S74,~
S01 since statehood. some $28,2S6.7O
was granted In extensions to renters
who were unable to meet their obligas
tions owing to the short crop Of last
year.
BLACK HILLS AFFAIRS
AT YANKToN CONFERENCE
Rapid city, S. d.. Oct. 12.--Miss "A.
q. Schwartz, ~deaconess IN charge OF the
Methodist hospital. h q received g dis
patch from h secretary OF the board
OF trustees OF the Woman's Home Mis-
sionary society, informing her that the
society has decided TO take over the in-
situation and Immediately send workers
into South Dakota and adjacent states
to raise $35. 900 with which TO pur-
chase the buildings and equipment Of
DIR. w. L. Robinson, It's founder, from
whom n Is now rented.
DR.. Munty and Miss Schwartz arc
at the Yankton conference OF the Meth
odist church OF South Dakota making
arrangements for the formal admission
or the Black Hills mission 10 h con-
ference and the assuming control OF
the hospital property. CongTessmai1
Martin Is also there looking after M
interests of the Black Hills In both
Rev. b. T. Russell. Tor the last year
pastor OF the Methodist church here,
has resigned and win accept a charge
at Albert Lea, W1lln.t WHICH 10 III HIS
old conference. The Yankt0n confer
ence will appoint his successor, who I'm
addition to his pastoral duties incident
20 the church here, will be president of
the hospital board OF trustees.
Rev. "A. G. Stevens, who came here
from Minneapolis as district guperin-
tendent OF the Black Hills mission, has
resigned and will become pastor OF
Trinity Methodist Episcopal church at
st. Paul.
Rev. !. H, edwards. OF Deadwood.
Is slated for district superintendent
when the Black Hills are admitted to
WIFE 1EArER CONVICTED.
Elk Point, 81 d., Oct 12.--Eli Beau-
chain, living near the Big Sioux bridge,
was taken before Justice Harter sat
urdap and arraigned on the charge OF
beating his wife. Gle was fined $a5 and
sent TO the county jnlf for 30 days. Jim
Halliday, special oficer, made the ar
rest and brought Beauchatn TO the
county seat
BISHOP O'GCRMANG rs
SECOND OF THE NAME
Pierre, 8, d. Oct. 12.rrait will be ce
interest to Catholics to learn that the
present Bishop O'Gorman Is not tins
first prelate of that name Ia the pa-