St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-07-24
RED. ]. GRACE'S
OPEN ANSWER
Observation-Disclosures mEREn. j OR

SOU QIlOCI ~ AAc 49,
In a conversation lateron, Mr..
| Dymond said that If sold under
said act he would be a bidder.
The Commission must not
confuse these lands with the
Sabine Islands. The lands
which White had an appllca-
ton to enter are the marsh
lands and shallow lakes situat-
ed on the lower coast in the
parish Of Plaquemine; and for
the further information of the
Commission, while not entirely
in response to the question,
will state there has been no ap-
plication filed with me since
my incumbency in the Land
Office to purchase or have sold
the Sabine Islands.
(Q) 81. What disposition
was made of the $400, which
was deposited with you GU
August 13, 1914, by R. NJ.
White, and which the Honor
able WIN. Mcfarland, Super
viasor Of Public Accounts, re-
ferred to in his report detail
ING the results of his investi-
cation of your office, as not
having been entered on the
ledger in your office?
(A) 81. 1t wa $ deposited
on August Is, 1914. in the
Louisiana National Bank,
BatonRouge, La, under ac-
count of F. J. Grace for r. NJ.
White. And so too, is another
$500 which wasdeposited by
MI. White for payment Of sur
vey and as part payment on
the land. The failuer to enter
I desire to state, was an error
Of the clerk in the Land Office.
The error has been corrected
by havingthe proper entire
made or the books and sub
sequent reporst of the Super
visor show the deposit of
$500.
(Q) 80. In view of your
alleged statement that the
Sabine Island lands are prac-
tically worthless and have no
value for timber mineral or
agricultural purposes, what ex-
PLANTATION have you to make re-
specting the following state
ments presented to the Com
missoin under oath, that one Of
the men originally interested
financially in the Duggan APP
plication, stated that thefiling
Of that application was
prompted by a report made by
an expert timber man who es-
timated the timber on the
islands tobe worth 100000 or.
some other sum approximate
ing that amount; that an own
er of land immediately adj
iacent to that which is soon to-
come into possession Of the
State on the Sabine Islands,
and which land is Of the same
general class and worth, had.
stated that he had received an
offer of SO an acre for the
two sections of land Whichhe
owns and which are on the
Sabine Islands; that the owner
of the lands adjoining the low
err island of the Sabine group
had stated that these lands
would not be disposed of ex-
cept with a specific clause in
the deed reserving to the sell
er the mineral rights thereon.
(A) 80. From inyestiga-
ton and personal examinia-
ton of the Sabine Islands and
from Information received
from such men as John FL. Poe,
of Lake Charles, S.
@. Shattuck, Deputy Assessor,
Calcasieu parish, g. Z. Gorham
memberof Commission Council
Charles and Ex-Parish
Surveyor CaIcasieu Parish, d.
r.. Swift. Land Man. Lake
Charles, Leon Chavanne, Real
Estate Man, Lake Charles, w.
Fl. Stark, Mill Man, Orange,
Texas, w. ID. Dorm Blaser,
lately connected with Field
Division u. S. Engineers and
other competent and qualified
to express an opinion, I found
that these lands have very
value for timber, mineral
or agricultural purpose-being
to tidal overflow and
overflow from the Sabine River
and denuded Of cypress and
such as are assessed at 81 per
acre.
No reliance can be placed
on the estimat mentioned.
/ have been reliably inform
ed that similar lands in that
neighborhood, but more con-
veniently located, can be