The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1916-12-22
RED TAPE KEEPS
LAND UNTAXAbLE

pel Bee, says:
There are dozens and dozens of
them" said Receiver O. E. Thomas of
the kalispell U. S. Land Office last
Friday when asked by a newspaper
man as to how many homesteaders In
the Flathead have had their land appli-
cations suspended or rejected.
| This is critical condition to have in
county like Flathead, where the
bonded indebtedness is up to the limit
and where our tax burdens are none too
light, and where this young county
needs all it's taxable support possible
and where it's settlers on raw land
should be encouraged instead of dis
couraged by the heart]ess, endless sys-
tenn of government red tape action.
The fact is there are vacant lands
on the former Flathead reservation
that good, bona fide settlers have ap-
piled for for the past five years, and
these home builders have been denied
the right to enter these idle lands.
Some of these acres have a few scat
tering trees on but not of first merch-
antable grade. These lands, if granted
to these settlers four and five years
ago, would by this time have been on
our tax rolls and real benefit to our
county.
The county commissioners have been
appealed to to assist in getting prompt
and favorable action. P. N. Bernard
has often been approached to help
hasten the adjudication of these worthy
homeste aders of our county. Even
Senator Henry L. Myers has been be-
sieged with petitions and writes, 81
appreciate fully the grief and suspense
which the settlers upon the Flathead
have been compelled to undergo with
respect to their homestead filings.
have earnestly urged the department
on numerous occasions to give them
relief"
Two years ago the Indian depart
ment sent Rev. w. H. Ketcham and
Assistant F. H. Abbott from Washing
ton here to inspect the claims of these
settlers and their report was true and
honest in every way and is public
document of some 100 pages.
AS yet, nothing has been done to re-
lieve the heart sickening suspense.
The sad feature of it is that some
later settlers have filed for lands since
these first rejected settlers and have
secured their lands. Others have had
to abandon their land selections and
look elsewhere.
One poor man asked in 1910 for 16O
acres of cheap grazing land above Pol
son and the land office granted him
40 acres of it at $1.25 per acre. One
of the other 40-acre tracts had 23
thousand feet of timber which the In
dian department appraised at 90 per
thousand and their own officer two
years ago said Sc. 100 per thousand was
all it was worth.
No reduction has been made on the
protest yet. The other 40-acre trgct
of this mans selection was $1.25 per
acre land which he offered to pay, but
they would not accept it. Last fall
the Indian department came around
and reappraised this stony, hog-back
tract suited to grazing only, no water,
not tree on it, not even ploWable, at
$500 per acre, after this settler had
been applying for it at the $l.25 rate
for the last four years.
The settlers on the reservation have
clearly found out that anything less
than 100 or 32O acre farm in this
semi-arid country is an Improbable
undertaking and hence they have tried
to complete their homesteads by apply
ing for the vacant, idle acres, nearby,
or adjoining their present 40's or SOS.
These tracts usually border the noun
tains and have some scattering timber
of second quality which the government
so far demands must be sold and re-
moved before applications will be con-
considered.
Lie pllCC lO1 lIuo IlllDCl 10
$500, $3.50 to $500 per thousand feet
and settlers cannot afford to log it at
additional expense of $500 per thous-
and feet and keep out of the sheriff's
hands.
The national forests timber is better
quality, more accessible and sells for
$l.25 to 81. rs per thousand feet, all of
which shows the holdup game the In
dian department is playing in the Flat
head country. A law was passed last
May authorizing the Secretary of the
Interior to let settlers in the Flathead
country have lands suited to horticul-
ture or agriculture having timber
thereon, by paying timber appraisal in
addition to the land, but as yet no
relief has come from that law.