Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-02-15
Nebraska
HOWARD COUNTY
PEOPLE REUSED
Controversy Over Reappraisal of
School Lands Brings to Atten-
ton Public Problem.
MAY MEAN MUCH TO SCHOOLS
CFrom a staff Correspondent

QTrom a staff Correspondent
LINCOLN. Feb. 14.-(special THE con-
troversy which has arisen over the action
OF the State Board OF Lands and Funds
favoring a reassessment of certain school
lands in Howard county has stirred UP
the commissioners OF Cherry county, and.
according to a statement coming to the
office OF Land Commissioner Beckms ann
clipped from the st. Paul Republican, the
people are considerably stirred up over
the matter in Howard county and the
action OF the Cherry county commits
sioners asking that il Howard county
lands be reduced thae lands in that
county also be reduced.
This has caused the state board to
take notice of what It will mean to the
school fund of the state If reduction is
made as asked for by Howard county
Discussing the matter the st. Paul
paper said:
There has been considerable contro-
Versy. regarding the apraisement of the
school lands made in this county in 1914.
which raised the average valuation to
M2.Gl. For eleven years prior to this time
county which had been appraised at 81
per acre and the state got the magnificent
sum of cents per acre rental or $40
The last appraisement Of the county
commissioners lowered the average from
Sl20 to 1884, thus depriving the state
school fund OF Sl6,6SS16 per year. There
There was no doubt Their some land i'm
the county might have been assessed too
high, but here could not possibly be
many tracts according to the information
at hand. While on the other hand there
are tracts that average well with land
that is assessed at @ per acre ear 70 s ssd
per acre. There are instances in this
county, where the lease holder has SOLD
his holdings at from SSOe to Si;SOV as "a
county where the lease holders 90 not
care for the land longer and are re-leas-
ing TO other parties for almost three
times the amount paid the state by the
original lease holders. There are IN
stances in this codnty where LO acres
of school land is being held on state
lease Of S73 for 100 acres in neighbor.
hood where land could not be purchased
for less than $40 to ~ per acre nd q ba
hOoves the people of the county TO loot
into this matter more particularly thar
has been the practice; IL these schoo
and the state deprived of money right
fully due 1t. and IL farmers are willing
lease this land and pay a monus OF a'
much as $3.50 it appears to the aver.
age person and taxpayer that this money
rghtfully belongs to the state schoo
fund, and not to the SPECTATOR. also
behooVes the taxpayers to take the
matter up with Mr.. Beckman, who Is
standing pat on this question and give
him their views. The republican doe!
not pretend to know these lands in 1ues
ton, but we have the word of gooc
reputable men that many tracts in tn
county are not appraised one-half wha
much more to the individual than he !
to the state for the same quality o
land. then the past appraisement is ia
too low.
In ali fairness to the state school fund
let those who know of these condition
report them as they are to the state. an
IL the school lands are in the hands c
speculators, swat them and swat theI
hard. The land speculator has been a
aggravation for years past and 1t
high time the shackles were broken.
A petition is now in circulation an
being freely signed, asking the stat
board to annul the last appraisemen
and let the old one of 1914 stand, or rails
the good land to somewhere near II
value.