American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-07-27
tivated farm, q mere promise Of
wealth at some future time.

We have pointed with pride to the
large earnings OF our land depart
ment, apparently unmindful OF the fact
that we have been making use OF only
a fractional part of our and
receiving only a fraction of the pos
sible revenues. Imagine a farmer
owning 100 acres OF land and putting
one acre OF 1t In cultivation the first
year, and adding an acre each year
thereafter. We are doing even less
In converting our and put
ting the INTO work. At the present
rate It will require 165 years to dis.
pose of u common school lands. II
the proposed constitutional amend
ment Is adopted 1t will be more than
forty-one years before the last Of them
are sold. Every unsold acre means
80 much idle capital, and so much pos.
sible ven lost.
II Is hard to grasp big figures,
except by comparison. Take one
acre Of land, sell Il for S1s, loan
the money at six per cent, add the
interest To the principal and re-
loan each year. At the%end Of the
first twelve year period we have
S24; mt the end Of the second
twelve year period we have $4S;
Mt Inc end OF the third twelve year
period we have 800, and at the
end OF the fourth twelve year per.
lod we have $192, or n gain OF $3.50
on that n acre OF land.
The natural Increase In land val.
ne can not keep pace with such
an Increase. In order 10 do so
each acre OF land would have 10
Increase In value n dollar each
year Tor the first twelve years;
W dollars each year for the
second twelve years; four dollars
each year for the third twelve
years n eight dolalrs each rear
OF the fourth twelve year period.
or $3.50 per acre for this period
OF time. This comparison shouId
make II clear that the best inter.
ests OF Rll demand the conversion
OF u esOurces Into interest
bearing securities as rapidly As
possible.
On the 10th of May, not oountins
unapportioned cash on hand. Idaho had
an active capital of $7.4S5. 1901 de-
rived from the sale OF state lands and
timber. and an inactive capital of
from hfty TO n hundred million dol
lars tied up In unsold lands and rim
Der. UP to December /, 1914 state
lands to the number of 377,0s4 acres
had been sold for $6.0S5. 619, an aver
age OF $l6.l4 per acre. On that date
there remained unsold 3.17s,044 acres
and at the same price will bring $751;
SOs,77O. Inasmuch as about 700. 900
acres of these lands are covered by
valuable timber. including the finest
body OF white pine timber In the Unit
cd States. and 1.700.00 acres are cap
able OF being cultivated. this estimate
Is not extravaganza. Accepting this
valuation as fair. We are using about
one-eighth OF our capital and permit
ting about seven-eighths to remain
idle. b,
From the fractional part Of our
capital In use we are deriving an
annual revenue Of about $500, OOO;
BY employing all Of Il we = In
few years be receiving IN annual
revenue OF several million dollars
Ii We will have the good sense 10
handle these resources rs any cor
poration or capable business man
would handle them. BY convert
Ing these resources into interest
bearing securities We can not only
gradually reduce and ultimately
eliminate taxation. but raj supply
u farmers with money for devel-
opment purposes at a rate Of In
feresi thai will mean a saxInu Ia