The Parker post., 1918-02-23
ADMINISTRATION
OF STATE LANDS
Especial Correspondence

1IS vast DOMAIN Oh lanO 10 Lno SeICIef
with one hand, and is loaning the
money thus received with the other
to aid development is shown by fig
ures recently compiled at the state
land department here That admin
istration of the state land code I'm
der policies now being carried ont is
working to the great advantage OF
the state as we'll as materially help
ing the cattle-growers, sheep-rais-
ers, small land owners and dry farm
ers, is shown in a striking way,
Out of little over a million dol
lars received from the sale and rental
of her lands, Arizona has loaned half
a million to farmers living in ten
different counties of the fourteen and
in addition is financing the Lyman
irrigation project in Apache county
with a loan of $50, 900. In other
words, sixty per cent of the money
Arizona has received from the sale
and lease of land has gone right
back into the pockets of the farmers
to help develop their holdings. AS
fast as the applications for loans
can be passed upon by the state loan
board, those accepted are granted
and the money goes to work to build
up the state.
From the sale of lands Arizona has
received during the past fiscal year
over 100000. Arizona's share of
the rentals of lands on forest re-
serves brought in another 100000
or better, while rental of state lands
added $255,175 to the state treasury
Timber sales amounted to $108,02O
and miscellaneous fees to approx
mately 100000 more Classification
and appraisement fees brought in
$33,2S1
State lands are sold on a basis of
seven per cent of the purchase price
down, with the balance payable in
3S annual installments, with inter-
est on deferred payments at the rate
of five per cent Already over $751;,
900 acres have been sold for a total
purchase price of $2,319,532, or at
an average rate of better than $3.50
per acre Of this amount 1901, ,0SS
has been paid, leaving a balance due
of $2,01S,4 ,444, from which the state
derives an annual income of approx
mately $1O1, 900. Interest payments
last year from contracts made the
year before amounted to SAL ,02S and
during the present year will treble
this amount.
1t is through the administration of
the vast empire of state school lands,
amounting to over 100000 acres
that taxpayers of the entire state
stand to reap great benefit under
present policies. Should this entire
acreage be sold at the average price
of $3.50 per acre, at which school
lands have been sold by the state in
the past year, it would bring the
state $44, 4,57O,24O, which sum at five
per cent interest would amount to
two and quarter millions annuallys
Even by leasing this land at the rate
of three cents an acre, there would
be derived a revenue of $243,11O an
nually, or enough to pay half the
q of a tQ of 10
time.
Notable among the accomplish
ments under existing policies is the
financing of the Lyman irrigation
project in Apache county. This dis
trict, which was supplied by water
from the Lyman reservoir suffered
great loss in 1915 when the earth
dam was washed out by food, and
faced ruin unless the means were
forthcoming for rebuilding of the
project Under wartime conditions
financing of the project through the
usual channels was found to be prac-
tically impossible, and farmers living
on $4,000 acres of land contemplated
the prospect of being forced to alb
andon the land they had brought to
high state Of cultivation. Through
the funds at it's disposal from the
sale and leasing of lands, the state
was able to loan the landowners
$3.50, 900, thus assuring the financ-
ing of the project, land the mainten-
ance of production on $4,000 acres
of fertile land, no small item in these
days when the crying need of in
creased production is being heard on
every hand.
Cost of handling the half-million
or more dollars received annually
by the state land department, includ-
ing selection of additional land for