Judsonia weekly advance., 1913-10-15
.TO BUY FARM FOR
 WHITE CONv|CTS
PENlTENTIARY COMMISSION AD- VERTIsEs FOR OFFERS OF
 SUITABLE TRACTS.
WHITE COUNTY LAND OFFERED
J. H. Hand of Melville Submits Open Proposal to Sell Board 4,698
 Acres for $101,225.

| Western Newspaper Union News Service. Little Rock.--The Arkansas Peni- tentiary Commission has opened nego- tiations for the purchase of separate farm for white convicts. Bids have been advertised for by the commis- sion, members of which are T. P. Murrey, J. V. Ferguson, and J. A Brasher. The specifications call for farm of not less than 1000 acres in one block and November 10 has been set as the date of the formal pur- chase. This purchase will be in ac- cordance with law passed by the last legislature authorizing the peniten- tiary board to purchase and maintain separate farm for white convicts.
 It is supposed that several bids will be offered, but only one has been made public up to this time, and that is the bid of J. H. Hand of Yellville, who says there is nothing to be kept under cover, and who submitted open proposal to sell 4,S98 acres in town ship z, range 5, on Little Red river in White county, for $101 ,225. with im- mediate possession to the state, "sub- ject to ingress and egress until Octo- Der, 1915, to remove the balance of red l oak and hickory"
 MT. Hands proposal describes the property as consisting of 400 acres cleared, which has produced bale of cotton per acre, the improvements consisting of a large club house, two large dwellings and several small dwellings, two large barns and several small barns, all buildings in good re- pair. His proposal sets forth that the cleared land has not been culti- vated for the past year or two, having been rented to teamsters for pasture purposes, but that the improvements thereon cost $15000.
 Lies Near Railroad.
 This vast acreage lies four miles from Bald Knob, is nearly all bottom land, and especially we'll adapted, the proposal says, to growing cotton, grain and hay crops. Four hundred acres are said to be in excellent condition for rice culture, 1000 acres have been cut over, but has 30,000 to 35,00O ties yet standing. The red gum on the land is estimated at 10,000,000 feet, 1,500 acres are in virgin white oak, but the red oak and hickory have been sold and the purchasers are to have ingress and egress until October, 1915, to remove the same, but there is to be no interference with the clearing and cultivation of land already cut over
 MT. Hands proposal estimates the price of red gum at s7.50 to $1O per thousand feet. All the timber except what remains of red oak and hickory goes with the land, at the price of $10f,22o. State notes will be ac- cepted at the prescribed legal rate of interest in payment for all or any part of the purchase price
 Law Authorizes Purchase. Speaking of the proposed purchase of 8 state farm, T. P. Murrey, member
 of the board, said:
 Under the state law, we are au- thorized to purchase farm for white convicts. The law gives us the privi. lege of making the purchase on credit terms, and it is probable that this will
 be done. The matter of the terms of the sale, however, depend wholly upon. | the conditions we meet when the pro. posals are opened. We will, of course. make the purchase in the best possible manner, and will be governed by the ] nature of the bids received from those
 who have land for sale.
 "The penitentiary a,d farm, accord. 1 ing to the recent report from the of | flee of the auditor of state, are in
 debt about $3O,000. We have $9,00o
 in cash on hand and our crops which
 will bring approximately s120,000. Thus
 it is seen easily that a cash purchase of the farm could be made if neces-
 sary and if the conditions warrant a
 cash purchase. The expense of estab-
 fishing the new convict farm will in
 clude not only the purchase of the l land, but stockades and buildings will
 have to be built, and the farm stocked
 We are figuring on an approximate
 cost of S25,000 along this line.'