Arizona republican., 1913-03-23
Land Leasing Bill Taking Matter From State Land Commission Giving It to County Supervisors Is Cause of More Talk
BOARD OF CONTROL
 BILL PASSES HOUSE
Forn' Men Place Emphatic Protests on Journal Live Stock Sanitary Board Bill Passes the House Also

Will there ever be an end 10 the land fuss in the present session of the leg islature? This question is put up so often by the casual visitor 10 the state senate. For some time during the week of every week of the present session there has been q fight on the floor of the senate on some sort of land pro- position. Yesterday it was on again harder than ever on the proposition of leasing the land by the fourteen boards of supervisors of the state, in the four teen different counties. as provided in Roberts senate bill 33 This bill has been before the committee of the whole three times and has yet not reached the second reading.
 Yesterday the fight was as hard as ever on the bill It was sent back to the public lands committee before a set of instructions tied to it. but the delegation of sOlOns who are fighting to get some sort of policy laid down that will permit the state to sell some of it's land still declare that the bill is iniquituous and indefensible. The bill provides for lease of state land to par '
 When the end of the term comes the tenant can again lease the land and has the right to set the value of the improvements that have been placed on the land i'll the event that there are others who would outbid him at public auction. In addition to this cash must be paid for the improvements and one fifth of the cost of the lease must be submitted with the bid for the lease of the lands This is to be done in the fourteen different counties by the four teen different boards of supervisors
 Cunnifrs support of the bill was based upon his statement that all the business of the state does not have to be done in Phoenix. and that it is d hard matter to come tu Phoenix from the outlying counties so hard matter in fact that a cen tralized control of the public lands of the state will work q hardship ou the men who might lease the land
 An attempt was made to introduce an amendment to the bin making il impossible to transfer the lease unless the party was moving out of the cOun try or selling out altogether, but this failed. Further amendments were made relieving the state of all re- sponsibility for improvements that shall hereafter be put on the land An attempt was made to place iI the bill a provision such as was ordered in when the bill was before the house before, to allow the sale of land under reclamation projects or irrigation projects that has been settled upon for ten years or more but the majority of one would not stand for it The proposition to limi, the improvements to those granted bH permission of the boards of super visors was voted down.
 When the final show down came it was desired to send the bill back to the public lands committee with instructions to fix it up according to the amendments that had beer offered and passed previously, but this was lost by a majority of one and the bill was then sent to tho style revision and compilation com ! mittee to be prepared for second | reading. Brown insisted that the ! partnership recognized in the bill be- 1 tween the state and the lessee wa: 1 pernicious and tried to get the bil ] into the public lands committee but 1 to no effect He afterWard withdrew 1 the motion.
 There is any amount of land legis- | Iation pending Hubbell has bil | for leasing the lands on ten-ye l basis, Davis has another for the sale l of the particular land that will re l lieve the taxpayers in the matter O | liouidating the Murphy railroad | bonds. as provided by the enabln! 1 act and the constitution. Willis ha 1 d land bill in the committee provid 1 ing for the relief of certain settler | on certain school lands which vii 1 have to be decided upon at this seS
 sion. In addition to this there ar l the bills prepared by the land com 1 mission under the statutes which pro
 pose a certain line of operations cal 1 culated to place the land operation
 of the state upon a basis that wi
 be of service to the state.
 There is decided sentimen
 against sale of any of the publi
 lands. constitution or no constitution
 enabling act or no enabling act, i
 the senate. It is noticeable fac that this sentiment is almost alto
 gether confined to the representatio
 of the mining counties. while th
 counties that have large farming an
 ranching interests are for givin
 some relief to the settler who Ina | gone upon the lands from the earl !
 Continued on Page Seveu)