The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1914-02-13
COMMISSIONER sAVIDGE is PRE-
PAIRING STATEMENT

Land Commissioner Clark v. Saw
ldge is preparing business state
ment of the work accomplished dur
ing the rst year of his administrat-
ion. This includes a financial state
ment showing certain receipts, ex-
penditures, gains and percentages,
representing the plan of procedure
which he has inaugurated for the pur
pose of determining the exact con-
dition of the states resources and
checking drains upon it's revenues.
The plan includes a systematic in
ventory of the states holdings by a
force of inspectors placed in the field
to examine every tract of state land
by smallest legal subdivisions.
The first inspection work has been
done in the counties of Okanogan.
Kittitas, Pend Oreille, Ferry, Stevens,
Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Lincoln, Ad-
ans and Benton. 304,37424 acres
have been examined at an expense
of $7,601.63, or 2h cents per acre
fh 1ere i ts of tn inspe.t;on be-
comes permanent records in the office
of the commissioner of public lands
for future reference in case of later
applications either to lease or pur-
chase. In doing this work, the sum
of $8,253.1S has been collected for
unauthorized use and occupancy Of
and tresspass upon state lands, which
is just $651.54 more than it cost to
have the land inspected AS fur
ther result of this inspection, there is
case now pending in court for the
settlement of $1,000 for tresspass in
the removal of timber from state
lands. In addition to this collection
for use and occupancy, in almost ev-
cry instance the occupant has been
induced to make application to lease
the land occupied.
In the business practice of any
large corporation, the amount col
lected would be used to Offset the ex-
pense of examination, but this is not
permitted by the statute governing
the management of state lands. Ac-
cordingly the amount collected has
been turned into the state treasury
by Commissioner Savidge as fast as
received, the expenses having been
met out of the regular appropriation
for examination and appraisement of
state lands.
While making inspection in the
eleven counties mentioned, the in
spectors have secured applications
to lease 40,421.78 acres. In this man.
ner large areas of state lands in stock
counties which has been sued for
years for grazing purposes, without
compensation to the state, have been
brought under leases. In Kittitas
county alone 12,641.e3 acres have
been leased.
In making these examinations and
collecting delinquences, the applicat-
ions filed in the regular course of bus
mess for the lease and purchase of
state lands have not been overlooked
or neglected, as they have been hand
led with the special work assigned to
the various inspectors, and Commis-
sioner Savidge has made special eff
fort to secure appraisement under
purchase applications within ninety
days of their filing, where circum-
stances will permit.
During the winter season delin-
uuent tide land leases and contracts
and expiring timber bills of sale are
being checked up and carefully in
vestigated with particular reference
to timber trespass in Western Wash
ington AS soon as spring opens the
systematic inspection work will again
be taken up and carried to complet-
ion.
The predominant idea in Commis-
sioner Savidge's plan of administra-
ton is that management of the hold
ings of the state, consistent with
sound business principles, cannot be
had without thorough investigat-
ion of the condition of these hold
ings. This idea is the result of his
observation of local conditions in the
various parts of the state through
which he has travelled in his work
prior to his election to the office OF
Commissioner of Public Lands and IS
/, the underlying principle of his ad-
ministration of the affairs Of that OF
flee.