Arizona republican., 1913-03-06
W WOULD SELL
 GRANTED LAND
Another Land Measure In-
 troduced That Purposes to Sell Land Granted to
 Arizona for Specific Pur- poses Under Enabling Act


 the senate this term is the proposed land policy of the state It positive ly will not down. It bobbed up again yesterday in the form of another land bill from Davis of Maricopa, who, by the way, seems to have a plethora of land bills slowed away somewhere. As usual there is the provision for the sale of certain of the lands of the state in the bill
 This time Senator Davis takes up the mater of the special grants of land to the state as provided in the enabling act, and asks that they be sold in conformity with the provi- sions of the enabling act These lands are those granted for specific pur- poses other than school and uni versity lands
 Under the provisions of the act if is sought to sell the lands under the limitations of the enabling act and the constitution which recognizes those provisions, and it is proposed thereby to provide d fund whereby the necessary addition to the state house, the miners hospital armories, buildings for the pententiary, indus trial school. insane asylum, and the bonds validated by the Murphy act against Pima Maricopa. Yavapai and Coconino counties could be paid off
 The act recognizes the constitu tonal limitation of 16o acres of agri- cultural lands. and $40 acres of graz fv,rr lon, .., corporation. after the sale has been advertised ten weeks for each par eel, Whcreupon the sale may be con ducted at public auction. The bill also provides for purchase in install mcnts covering twenty years at six per cent interest
 The introducer of the bill said yes terday that he believed his method if pursued would obviate excessive taxation, or increased taxation In the report of the land commis- sion, which is quoted herewith, the following statements concerning these land grants are made:
 The act of congress approved June l 20. 1912 commonly known as the enabling act. in addition to setting | aside Sections ?, 1G, 22 and 36 fol l the benefit of the common schools 1 of Arizona made the following spc- cial grants:
 For university purposes, 2oo,Oo0 l acres
 For legislative, executive and judi l ciaI public buildings. 100000 acres. For penitentiaries. 100000 acres. For school and asylums for the deaf, dumb and blind, 100000 acres | For miners hospital, 5O.ooO acres For normal schools. 200,O0o acres For state charitable. penal and re 1 formatory institutions. 100000 acres For agricultural and mechanical colleges, 15o,OOO acres
 For school of mines 150,O00 acres
 For military institutes, 100000
 acres.
 For payment of Maricopa, Pima 1 100000 acres.
 Total 2.35O00O acres
 This land is to be selected from | the surveyed unreserved, unappro- l prated, and non-mineral public lands l of the United States within the linn | it's of said state, by d commission composed of the governor, surveyor general or other officer exercising the 1 functions of a surveyor general. anC | the attorney general of the state 1 Chapter 70 of the session laws o 1912, clothed the chairman of tho | state land commission with the pow
 CTS of q surveyor general; and i'm
 posed upon the state land COmmis sion, created by that act the duty o 1 making investigation of the unap
 prOpriated public lands of the stat'
 and of recommending to the commis 1 sion named by the enabling act sucl
 portions as in the opinion of thu
 state land commission are suitable
 for selection in satisfaction of tn
 congressional grants.
 This is, at the present time, thu
 commissions most urgent and mos
 vital duty, and is receiving the mos
 particular attention. The enOrmit,
 of the task is evidenced. not so mucl
 by the fact that nearly two and one
 half million acres, certainly al
 immense amount, is to be select
 ed. as by the fact that it is to h.
 selected. out of nearly scVcnty-fiv' million acres, an area about 400 mile
 square, and containing thousands 0 valleys and mesas, possessing tn widest possible range of phyiCal an' climatic characteristics. The vas area must be examined with care if the state is to receive the fulles benefit from it's land selections, truth which will be better appre ciated when it is understood that tn range of land values-lands iron ,, which these selections may be mad is from practical worthlessness t easily fifty dollars per acre. Though the commission has hear the view frequently expressed tha no lands susceptible of home making should be taken by the state, bu rather left for location under tn government land laws, while the in ferior lands, suitable for no highe purpose than grazing, should be em ployed in satisfaction of the con gressiOnal grants the commissio does not share that view and Ina therefore adopted and outlined an is carrying out the policy of sccur ing for the state the choicest un appropriated, unreserved, non miner \ eral public lands to be had" -O---