Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-10-03
WILL DEVELOP
LOGGED LANDS
King County will Hold Elec-
tion Under New Law for
Clearing Logged Lands
HUGE SAVING POSSIBLE
Plan Likely to be- Adopted
Generally in the Counties
Of Western Washington

The people of King county on De-
cember will vote for or against the
stumping and grubbing of 100000
acres of logged-off lands under the
terms of resolution passed this
week by the Board of County Com
missioners. This is the first step talk
en- since the passing of the Murphine
bill by the legislature last winter, by
any county, to convert the 2,5O0,O00
acres of stump land west of the Cas-.
cade mountains to tillable farms.
The election was set for the same
date as that of the port election and
school election, in order that the
cost of submitting the proposition
might be minimized.
Representative Thomas F. Murph-
inc, author of the bill, headed CON-
mittee of business men that waited
on the county commissioners this
week and was the principal speaker
before that body. He explained that
he wanted the people to say whether
King County should form itself into
an agricultural development district
That will be the first question; the
second will be the election, at the
same time, of three agricultural dis
trict commissioners. These will be
from the same districts as the county
commissioners. They may be nomi-
mated on 1 per cent petitions in their
own districts, but are to be voted for
by the county at large.
Murphine told the commissioners
that the creation of such district
ultimately will mean the retention in
i King county ak,sc1s3f between $1e,-
100000 and $21,0OO.OOO annually.
Huge Saving Possible.
"These figures have been carefully
compiled" said the representative
king is paying out every year &c.
100000 for eggs. $7,00O,000 to $10,-
100000 for butter and $5,00O,0OO for
live hogs, while we sit by and let
lie idle 100000 acres of first and Sec
ond-class logged-off lands. We know
what can be done with this acreage
for we have now in this county $4,000
acres either under cultivation or in
use as ranches for various purposes.
The people then cannot look upon
this as an experiment."
County Commissioner NJ L. Ham
ilton, friend Of .ie project, was abb
sent, but both commissioners David
Mckenzie and Krist Knudsen assured
the committee of their hearty sup.
port.
Once the people have created the
agricultural development district, the
commissioners have power to issue
bonds for the work of clearing the
land up to ~ per cent of the as.
sessed valuation Of the county. which,
in the case of King, is IN per cent
of $780, 100000.
Representative Murphine assured
the commissioners, however, that
there was no occasion at this time to
make any such levy, and that in all
probability 100000 or 100000
would be all that would be asked for
The law empowers the commission
to purchase logged-off lands in large
tracts, to clear them and to them
in tracts of any si- up wenty
acres. The statut forbids - com.
missioners to pay more than $50 an
acre, and safeguards the districts in.
terests by making 1t mandatory on
the county assessor to assess prompt
ly at $40 an acre any logged.off lani
the commissioners cannot purchase
at that figure.
Men Of families are given the pref
erence right to buy small tracts. ur
to twenty acres, at the price the clear.
ed land cost the commission. The
payments will be extended over twen-
ty years, the rate Of interest being
one-half of one per cent higher than
that of the district bonds.
This is one proposition. The sec.
ond affects the man who already
owns stump land. He will be requir.
ed to turn this land over to the dis.
trict which will clear it, giving him
the preference right to bid on the
work and bid the land in at the cost
of clearing. He also will be given
twenty years to pay. The district, as
Murphine explained to the county
commissioners, being a municipality
cannot loan actual money, but in
reality it does so in this manner to
the rancher who has not the means
j.. pay the cost Of clearing hif pnd
Seattle Times. a..
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