The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-10-18
REPORT OF INTEREST
LAND COMMISSIONER GIVES Ac-
COUNT OF STEPS TAKEN DUR.
ING HIS STEWARDSHIP.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
From the Capitol CITY. the Various
State institutions and From
Many Different Parts OF
the Sunshine State.

Pierre.-In the biennial report just |
filed with the governor. OF Land Com |
missioner +. f. Brinker n detailed his |
tory is given OF the two years admins |
! tration, and some important recon- !
nendatiOns are made. When taking |
Office TWO years ago Mr.. Brinker found
much work before him. The people
had recently approved a constitutional
! amendment providing for law tor
| leasing state lands for farming pur.
| yoseS. and agreement had been entered
| into for the exchange OF the state lands
| IN the forest reserve for a compact
| body: congress had provided tor the
opening of Mellctte and Bennett couil-
/ ties, in which there was $4,000 acres OF
! school lands which had been allotted
to the Indians. and for which lieu
! lands had to be selected III other
! places: and last. there was no comprc-
| hensive law defining the duties of his
| department.
Under his suggestion the school
! land lease law was enacted, under
which these lands are not rented AT
uniform rate for each county, but each
tract is appraised and 4 rental fixed
according to value. The total rent
ais for the past year amounted to
S329, 73t 90, an increase Of S5279S.6i,
in the face Of unfavorable conditions
for agriculture $1,000 Of this came
from lands leased for farming Mr..
Brinkcr states that additional revenue
could be secured without injury to the
! lands by n minimum rental OF 81 per
acre, together with "A bond or Il half
payment in advance, and providing for
a 20.year lease, enabling the lessee to
put up permanent improvements in
stead of the present tive-year limit.
The department sold l9.2lG.S3 acres
in 1911 at an everage OF $52.oS, ana
22,4J0.4S acres In 1912 at $47.23. 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 OF
lands in Custer county, in the iarney
Peak reserve, and in Harding county,
in the Short Pine Hills reserve. There
is over 200 900 ,000 board feet OF mer-
chantablc lumber in the tiarney Peak
tract, and the commissioner urges the
, creation of state department OF for
estry to properly preserve il from fire
and pillage This would cost much
less than the revenue.
The state has filed on 50 $3.50 acres
in Mellettc and 27,32S.07 acres in Ben
net counties OF indemnity lands. Chas
II. Bates, government allottlng agent
on the Pine Ridge reservation says
! that they are a quarter OF a million
acres short of enough land for the In
danS ON that reservation. hence Mr.
Brinker feels that it is imperative tC
make selections for the state in Other
places, and TO that end recently mad,
E a long automobile tour through the
west part Of the state inspecting avail
s able lands. The same general condi
!. tionS obtain i'm the Rosebud, Standing
l. Rock and Cheyenne River reservations $
K and the commissioner recommend.
i that the state be permitted TO scfec
e its lieu lands In one body rather thar
l. being limited to two sections to
township
:. The permanent school fund amount
k to 50 1890. derived from the sal
e of 39G .09676 acres The sales of en-
- dowment lands brings the fund unde
@ the direction Of this department up t
@ $1O,143. .831 %. OF this S3,9l 6.S74 il
r still out at per cent on de- ID pay
ments on lands, and the balance 81
!, o2G.&5G36, is loaned out, mostly at
. per cent Applications are on han'
n for several hundred thousand dollars
y for which there are no funds. Thi
:, fund has had a decidedly beneficial ci
:. feet in keeping down the rate OF in
!, terest within the state $i.iS was al
portioned from this interest for ever
j.. school child. This is the largest pr
rata ever, and also represents the lare
est net gain
- Together with endowment funds 70
= educational and charitable institutions
- cSG2,S49 was collected as rental and in
terest making a grand total OF 81 1914
. 90l since statehood. Some $2S2SG. 1
was granted in extension to renter
)i who were unable to meet their otliga
l. ,ions owing to the short crop OF las
iO wear