Our land = La Nostra terra. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 191?-1913, 1913-03-08

March 5th 1913
Mr.. Charles Bonino, Chairman,
Town of Vuaghn, Iron County.
Hurley Wis.
Dear sir:
| am writing you with reference to
matters pending before the State Le-
gislature in which | feel that Price,
Iron, Villas, Oneida and Forest Coun-
ties are vitally interested. You un-
doubtedly know that it is the plan of
the State Board of Forestry and Mr..
Griffith State Forester, to create a
permanent State Forest Reserve which
contains within its limits Townships
al of Range ? and 3 and Townships IL,
AZ, and 43, Range 4 in your county,
thus your county would lose one town
ship more than you gained in 1898 when
Villas county was created, at which
time Townships Il, AZ, 43, and "A.
Range 4 were set over to Iron County.
All together there are about l,500, 600
acres in this proposed permanent For
est Reserve, Also it was the intention
of the Forestry Board and Mr.. Griffith
to have passed at this session of the
Legislature bill creating a tax of one
tenth of one mill on the dollar on all
the taxable property in the State of
" sconsin for period of twenty years.
This tax. were the bill to pass would
a mount to 1884, 1853. 90, of which Iron
County's share will be $762.5l. The
State Board of Forestry now receives
S95, 600. 90 year in appropriations levi
ed in the past, (See Section 1072-1;
l494-62 and 1494-35 of the Statutes of
l91D. Your share of this S95, 600 90
when added to the one tenth of one
mill tax increases the tax which you
will have to pay for this purpose one
third, making Iron County's share
81, 016.6S.
Should the plan of Mr.. Griffith go
through. in addition to paying this tax
your County would lose the five Town
ships above enumerated.
The County Boards of Forest. Villas
and Oneida Counties have held sessions
adopted resolutions protesting against
the passage of these bills and request
ing the passage of Bills No. 202S and
204S and 486A and ASIA They have
also appointed Legislative Committees
to take such steps as to them seem ne
cessary to protect this section of the
State. | have talked with our Assemb-
lyman, Mr.. Whiteside, and he is very
much opposed to Mr.. Griffith's scheme
and introduced our Bill in the Assemb.
ly and is working for it. |, speaking
for the County Boards of Villas, Oneida
and Forest Counties request that your
County Board take some action on the
matter and take it up with your legis-
lative representatives and all other
members of the Legislature whom you
can reach.
The Bill have mentioned are two
bills, each of which was introduced in
both the Senate and Assembly, hence
the double numbers and in one of these
( Bills we ask that no further lands be
purchased for State Forest Reserve
until July 1st 1915 and also that spe-
cial MISUNDERSTANDING Commit
tee of three Senators and five Assemb-
lymen be appointed to make tho
rough investigation of the Forest Re
serve plan and particularly as to the
agricultural possibilities of the terrific
ry withia the boundaries of the propos-
+ ed permanent Forest Reserve and to re
port to the next regular session of the
Legislature. So
The other bill in effect asks that the
State pay on the land owned by the
State their share of the school and
town taxes to help maintain the
schools and carry on the affairs Of the
towns.
We believe both Of these bills should
pass. We. however, have not much
hope of passing the taxation bill. With
proper effort on our part we believe
we can pass the bill asking for the in
vestgating committee.
Mr.. Griffith in spite Of the fact that
we in common with all other northern
counties are using every effort to set
tie the lands with farmers is writing
articles and lecturing and having arti-
cles published in the papers of The
State, 4 which he claims that soil sur
veys have been made in this territory
and that such survey have established
the fact that the only land within the
proposed Forests Reserve suitable for
agricultural purposes amounts to from
! Is to q per cent. in different localities
and that from IS to s5 per cent. are un-
fit for agriculture and suitable only fol
demonstration.
. As it looks to rs this work on the
part Of Mr.. Griffith is nullifying oul
efforts and is giving these five coun.
? ties a blackeye.
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