The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-01-08
registers report, now in press, are:
Agricultural college ZIP, 124.99 acres
School of mines. 65,951.36 acres
Normal school ----.--.. II $4,000 acres
University .-.-........ 20,3G7.S5 acres

Total -269 ,S23.20 acres
"Of this total over lao, 900 acres are
in Beaverhead, Cascade, Fergus, Flat
head, Gallatin, Meagher, Missoula,
Powell and Ravalli counties. The es-
innate of the value of these lands at a
future probable value of s25 an acre, a
total endowment of s6,745,5s0 has
been criticised as 'preposterous.'
This criticism is made on the
grounds that S9,25S acres of school
lands were sold at an average of 1920
per acre in the past year, and that the
sales in the last W. years have been
of the pick and choice of the school
lands, therefore, what is left, presum-
ably, cannot have even in a possible
long period in the future development
of the state, a value higher than that
of the lands already sold.
Let us analytic this criticism. In
the first place these unprecedented
sales of school lands, and the fact that
the total receipts from all sales in 1912
were $1,306,s9 nearly one-sixth Of
the receipts from the sale of lands in
the whole history of the state, might
reasonably be considered as ground
for expecting a rise in land values.
'In the econd place the correspon-
dent has evidently confused the school
and higher education grants.
THE receipts from lands, exclusive
of lease and interest, from the grants
for higher educational institutions
from the beginning to November 80,
1912, as shown by the treasurer's re-
port in 1910 and the unpublished re-
port of 1912, AVE been for the 49,
74O.2S acres sold, an average of SIS an
acre. This average takes no account
of the payments not yet mad on the
lands sold. The data as to this is not
at hand If it were the average would
be considerably higher. 1t would not
seem unreasonable to expect the re-
naming acreage to be sol at an aver
G much higher than the average
price of the last 20 years and more.
"As a matter of fact, some of this
land is sold at $50; and more of it is
held still higher. The sales Of the uni
versity lands in the last years, which,
in the terms of the writer, We're al
ready picked over, averaged a higher
value per acre than the presumably
more choice lands previously sold.
The average quoted by the critic
for all school lands yet unsold would
be an endowment Of over $50, 900, 900
for schools without any advance of the
average, without calling attention TO
the fact that a half million of these
acres are now being transferred from
the federal to the state government
at a value announced at $40, 600, 900.
This would certainly balance all the
bad lands there may be in the rest of
the land"
Rev. Mr.. Galley pointed out dis
advantages of the present awkward
system, and added that consolidation
would be harder to accomplish the
longer it Is put off. I'VE should all
look at it for what it is going to do
for Montana, not what it will do for
self"
President Craighead concluded the
meeting by telling the results of his
investigation of the subject, and by
painting to the college men and women
his future University of Montana
that will be the greatest university
in the United States"