The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-09-30
STATES timber
ABOUT run OUT
SALE NOW BEING NEGOTIATED
MAY BE THE LAST OF ITS
KIND IN HISTORY.
CAUSES STIR AT BOARD meet
ONE MEMBER INTERPRETERS WITH
TIME HONORED CUSTOMS OF
CONDUCTING BUSINESS

the state timber DOafd Will KNOCK
down to the highest bidder or bidders
over 100000 feet of choice timber.
The sale of state timber which is an
annual affair, has featured over thirty
years of the states history and as
such receives but passing mention at
the hands of the state press, but next
months sale is of more than ordinary
importance when it can truthfully be
said that it will come pretty near be-
ing the last of it's kind. When that
happens it will mark the passing of
an institution that has denuded the
land of much its wealth, feathered
the pockets of many and ruined the
political chances of several. The
move twoard a new era, with conser-
walton of the states natural resources
as it's principal object, came with the
meeting of the state timber board
which authorized the sale mentioned.
Like previous gatherings of it's kind
soundproof oak doors confined the de-
alterations to the room in which it
was held and all the outer world
learned was that sale had been or
dered and that about 20,000,0O0 feet
of timber would be the offering. A
second meeting of the board, however,
caused the news gatherers to sit up
and take notice and then it developed
that one of the members had mixed
the cards. This particular Individual
was Attorney General Smith and the
charge placed against him was that
he demanded to be shown. What he
said was not taken down by stenog
rapher, but according to the talk go
ing the rounds it was in effect that
the sale of state timber was not CEN
tered in any one official and he wanted
to look over the tracts of timber as
submitted by the various cruisers be-
fore giving his sanction to the sale.
His idea prevailed to the extent that
adjournment of the board was taken
to a later date. Mr.. Smith, l under
stand, dared to buck other time hon
ored customs in connection with the
annual sale and in these he also pre-
vailed. 1t was only after putting in a
day looking over the lists that the
attorney general finally did give his
sanction to the sale. He could find
nothing that would prevent it.
Reading this one would infer that
there was something rotten in Den
mark, but such is far from the case.
The states legal adviser simply knock
ed over time honored custom of using
the state timber board as an endors-
ing medium only and centering the
details in his judgment of one mem
Der. Everything had been done as
the law requires, but Mr.. Smith was
not satisfied with that alone. AS q
responsible party he simply wanted
to be shown and was shown before he
voted. The laws relating to state
timber in Minnesota and it's sale when
in danger of destruction by fire OF
cient lineage. They are appar-
emily alright, with the states in
terests protected at every point, but
as pointed out by the attorney gen.
eral conservation is almost impossi-
BILE under them. They make the an
nual October sale compulsory. Elk
ira cruisers hired for the occasion
annually inspect the states holding:
of timber, measure and estimate tn
value of the same and if in DANCE,
of loss by fire or other hazards, re
port the fact to the state auditor. He
in turn reports the facts as compile
to the state timber board and it,
duty is then to offer the menacec
tracts to the highest bidder. There is
no other alternative unless misjudg
ment or fraud on the part of some
cruisers can be found. The tracts
must be sold. Noting the passing Of
the forests officials and the public
generally have raised their voices il
behalf of conservation and in this re:
spect both State Auditor Preus anc
State Forester Cox have been active
They are now even trying to eject
such into the sales to be made next
month, but success will likely attenc
their efforts in a slight way only
Scientific logging cannot be done
under the present laws and while
such is to be regretted perhaps it is
all for the better. 1t seems that pass
ing of the present forced annual sale
and the substitution of laws more ir
conformity with the new idea in the
matter of forest preservation.
The tax levy for state purposes has
just been announced by the state au-
ditor's department. For that portion
of the state outside the cities of st.
Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth the
levy is 4.15 mills, and for the three
cities named Al. The levy for the
various state expenses is 2.87 mills, a
reduction of sixty-fve hundredths of
mill from last year. There is also
reduction in the levy for state reve-
nue. from 2 mills to Ia mills. The
reason that the levy is lower in the
cities than in the country is because
on a one-twentieth mill tax levied bv
l. - IL .