El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-11-03

and which will make available for
schools during the next year or two
not less than million dollars a year.
IS the flnal justification Of the gen
eral policy OF the land commissioner,
which IS 70 make the most advantage
Gus disposition Of the lands for pur-
poses Of securing cash revenue, with
out injuriug the value OF the lands
The Deposit Fund Criticism
The other criticism which has been
directed against the land department
during Nj Erviens administration,
has arisen very recently. and is due
TO a condition over which he has had
no control in order TO insure good
faith on the part OF persons applying
for selection Of state lands for pur-
chase. the necessity for a deposit TO in
sure performance Of the contract when
the selection had been approved BY the
FEDERAL government was obvious. The
approval Of state land selections in the
department Of the Interior at Wash
1ngtOn during the present administra-
ton has been painfully slow; so slot
at times as to give an impression Of
deliberate delay and possible obstruc-
ton Because Of these delays in ap-
prOval OF selections, the deposits by in
tending purchasers have run Up TO
nearly S459-e00- These funds are not
state funds They are the property OF
the prospective purchasers and are held
by the land Commissioner in the same
way that certified check is held by an
architect from a contractor bidding on
a piece of construction They are trust
AAAAt1 " AAAAu LAAr Adllu E0allIll5@l Toner
has no other power than merely to
keep in safety This has been done BY
depOsItIug these funds in banks all
over the state which have been willing
10 make the necessary surety bonds to
properly protect the deposits Not all
banks have been willing to take on
these funds since the period OF their
holding Is uncerts in depending en-
tirely on the time when the Interior
Department may see fit TO approve the
states selections Of land applied for.
The attorney general OF the state has
ruled that the Land Commissioner has
10 option but to keep these funds Just
as he Is now keeping them. and the
United States Attorney for New Mex
icO. in a recent written opinion to the
attorney general at Washington held
with the attorney general OF the state.
Thus there has been no option or the
part OF the land COMM ssiOner but to
continue the funds. properly secured,
as they have always been held.
This criticism will very SION be re-
moved through the operation OF the
land department system. which dispOses
OF the lands as quickly as selections
are approved The amount now held
in trust viii diminish rapidly from this
time on and cannot reach any import
ant total again
In the meantime. the wisdom OF the
deposit requirement has been proven
over and over again Quite recently
the land commissioner paid into the
state treasury the sum OF $4,000.
realized from the forfeit Of a single
deposit in a contract wherein the IN
tending purchaser failed TO complete
the purchase when the selection ap-
piled for had been approved and had
been rendered to him for final pur-
chase. a considerable number Of small
Ter fOrfeitureS have been turned into
the state treasury. making in the az
gregate an imposing total
4 Working Business Mans job
The Job OF administering New Next
cos public lands is no undertaking
for a man who cares for an easy life
II is working business mans job
tention year in and year out The de-
tail handled through the department is
enormous Its banking transactions
alone are far larger month by month
than the total transactions Of most
small banks Its field Is the whole
state. and the number Of its clients IS
increasing by leaps and bounds. as IS
indicated by the enormous increases IN
the revenues
Land Commissioner Ervien has had a
thorough schooling in the work of the
department He has given il his en-
tire and undivided attention since he
took the position He brought to Il
the Judgment and ability of a man OF
bined with the unusual quality OF
grasp OF detail He has added 10 this
equipment knowledge OF the state
lands and Of the state as a whole that
is profound. and an understanding y
the needs OF the department and OF
The state that is comprehensive he
was one of the best equipped men in
the state for the job when be took II
nearly ten years ago. and II the inter
vening years he has acquired q knoWl-
edge and an experience which any
man. no matter what his ability, would
require an an equal time to acquire
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