Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1917-01-19
Bill Prepared for Legislature
Provides for Community
Land Clearing
THE STATE TO TAKE HOLD
To Proceed Along the Lines
Successfully y Used in Re-
claiming Arid Lands

OLYMPIA, Jan. 25.-As result OF
the Logged-off Land Conference held
in Seattle last month, a bill is being
prepared by ]. T. Condor, dean OF
the law school of the University of
Washington the aim of which is to
utilize logged-off lands through COM
munity development, and will shortly
be presented to the legislature. A
summary of the bill follows:
In each county is to be created an
agricultural development district" ad-
ministered by board of agricultural
commissioners. The county commits
sioners may, and upon the request Of
so land owners of the county shall,
organize the district and the board,
which shall be composed of the county
auditor, engineer and agriculturist.
The county assessor is to act if the
county has no agriculturist. They are
to serve without extra compensation.
The agriculturist, or engineer, is to be
chairman.
The board of agricultural develop
ment is authorized to buy logged-off
lands, and purchase or manufacture
explosives and land clearing equipment
and use and sell such equipment. Not
more than $1,000 worth of explosives
may be sold to any one land owner
Equipment may be leased to land own
ers. Bonds up to S25O,00O. outstanding
at any one time, may be issued. A
tax of not more than one-fourth. of
one mill may be levied upon the dis
trict.
The county treasurer shall have
charge of the district funds, which
shall be kept separately.
Investigation of logged-off land shall
be made by the board upon request
of the owner. Land owners may offer
for sale to the board not to exceed 40
acres of logged-off land, and not more
than IS per acre may be paid for such
land.
Upon conveyance of the land to the
district, the board is authorized to con-
tract to sell the land back to the ven-
der on the following terms: One-tenth
is to be paid on the date of the sale
and one-tenth annually until the full
price is paid. The purchaser may pay
the full price at any time Deferred
payments shall draw interest at not
to exceed 6 per cent.
The sale price of lands returned by
the board to the vendor shall be the
pri"o paid by the district, plus the
cost of acquisition of title and cost
of improvements and per cent of
the total. Lands not so sold back to
the first owner shall be auctioned.
"No person shall directly or indirectly
acquire more than 40 acres of such
lands" says the bill.
When logged-off land is bought by
the district, the board shall at once
improve the land by blasting the
stumps, the bill specifies. The board
may later furnish additional aid on
condition that the owner contribute a
like sum in either money of labor, but
blasting and additional aid are not to
exceed 1000 in cost.
The board may also, when it deems
1t for the bests of the district, sell
such lands in tracts of not more than
40 acres on the following terms: One
twentieth of the purchase price to be
paid on the date of sale and one-twen-
tieth on the eleventh year there after,
and One-tenth annually thereafter until
the full price is paid. Before such
sale is made the board shall prescribe
the extent and character of the i'm
provements to be made within the first
ten years of the life of the sale con-
tract and the contract shall be sub
ject to forfeiture if the holder shall
fail each year to make the agreed i'm
provements. 1t is plainly stated that
the improvements prescribed and
agreed upon shall be considered a part
compensation for the land. in addition
to the money paid. More extensive i'm
provements may be made and the pur-
chaser may pay the full price at any
time. if the board is satisfied the
improvements placed upon the land
insure it's bonafide cultivation and use
for agricultural and horticultural or
dairying purposes.
agricultural devesopment bonds" to
run not more than 20 years and draw
ing per cent interest may be issued
and sold by the district to obtain the
money for making the improvements
contemplated in the bill. The bill
seeks to insure a good market for these
bonds, as one section reads: "All
state, county, municipal and other
lDuaDs6si 1nmay helnsestsd inaasah
1bonds ot any district, and such bonds