The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-09-07
HEAVY MAIL FROM
NEWSPAPER ERROR
PREUS OVERWHELMED WITH IN.
Il oUIRIES FOR S. PER ACRE
LAND ADVERTISED.
PROBING STATE-OWNED MINES
Federal Engineer Comes to Investk
gate to See That State Receives
Proper Pay for Ore Removed.
st. Paul.


many Eastern and Southern newspa-
pers that Minnesota is offering state
lands, partially cleared and i'm.
proved, with modest cabin on each
40-acre tract at SIS an acre under a
15-year deferred payment plan to at.
tract settlers, late yesterday threat.
ened to make the mail received at
the Office of State Auditor Preus heav.
Ter than that from the famous Min.
neapolis silk skirt chain letter fraud
exposed recently by pOstoffice author.
tiles.
Inquiries came from Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Texas and other distant states
and the majority contained the clip.
ping from some newspaper OF the er.
roneous announcement under a Min.
neapolis date line that Minnesota had
adopted the extremely liberal offer to
quickly settle it's 40-acre tracts of fine
farm land. ]. F. Gould, superinten.
dent of the land sales bureau, and a
force of stenographers began an at
tempt to answer the replies to the free
advertising, although the latter came
faster.
Unfortunately" said Auditor Preus,
these correspondents must be disap.
pointed. The Legislature in provid.
ing for the administration of Amend.
ment No. 1, providing for limited
amount of clearing on state land in
advance of settlement, did not author.
ize the erection of the cabins which
seem to appeal to the imagination of
so many people"
The auditor explained also that S.
an acre is the minimum price for
Minnesota land and there is little for
sale at that figure.
X X
State Mines Being Probed.
James R. Finlay, an engineer in the
Federal bureau of mines, arrived in
st. Paul to confer whit State Audi.
tor Preus regarding an investigation
of state-owned mines to determine
whether they are being properly op-
Grated and maximum royalties are be-
ing paid the state for ore re.
moved. He left soon afterward with
F. A. Wildes, state superintendent of
mines, for Bemidji to begin the in.
quiry.
X X
Heavy Sales of Bottled Goods.
Heavy sales of bottled goods
liquor sold and carried away after
nightfall-at the few saloons in the
otherwise dry region covering many
miles in Southern Minnesota and the
employment Of eight bartenders in
one of the saloons which pays $4,000
license fee, were outstanding findings
in report received by the Mime
sofa Public Safety Commission from
the special commission which inves.
tigated conditions in Martin and
Pipestone counties after complaints
were made by citizens in that sec.
ton.
The report was placed on file, but
probably will claim the commissions
attention later.
The investigating commission was
made up of Judge T. D. O'Brien of
st. Paul, E. G. Hall of the State Fed
Grafton of Labor and Senator E. P.
Peterson of Litchfield, who recently
conducted similar inquiry at Inter-
national Falls at the direction of the
war board.
The saloonkeepers of this territory
insist that they are complying with
the laws and that they are not to
blame for the increased sales due to
other territories being dry, the inves-
tigators reported.