, 1921-01-20


districts, but it would ENC to greatly
improve the standard of such schools.
1t is also the purpose of the depart
ment to cooperate in providing voca-
tional education and to encourage the
establishment of classes for the Amer
c%anization of foreigners in such places
rs there are a sufficient number to Jus
tify the expenditures
Some way must be provided either
~ constitutional amendment or other
wise so that county superintendent of
schools can be paid adequate salaries,
rs those who are qualified can either
not afford to serve or If they do ac-
'ept this position, they do so at a great
sacrifice.
1t is to be hoped that you will APP
D%recfate the need of lettering our
schools, that you will be disposed to
providing ample funds for that pur-
pose, and will give the matter of school
legislation most careful consideration.
State Lands.
Every effort has been made by both
of the state land boards and the com
missioner of public lands to conduct
that department on a business basis.
We have endeavored to handle the af-
fairs of the office in accordance with
the Jaw, W SHOW W every ut lie SdIlt
consideration, and to secure the great
est possible revenue to the state, at the
same time realizing that 1t was not
our duty to compel people to pay I'M
fair rentals or royalties but to secure
what we believed a fair return to the
state, considering the value of the re-
spective leases.
The total receipts for this office, not
including trust funds, have increased
by 81, 496, 9S0.02, or nearly n per cent,
In the biennial period. In INT month
the total receipts of the office exceed
ed the amount for the entire biennial
period of 1911 to 1913, while the cost
of conducting the office has amounted
to but 1h per cent of the total re-
ceipts. Nearly all his increase is
caused by the development of oil and
gas on state lands. For the first time
the commissioner of public lands has
been collecting interest on daily de-
posts and turning the same into the
treasury. This interest, which the
state has never received before, is suf-
flcient to pay the salaries of both the
commissioner and his deputy. There
Is no law authorizing him to do this.
and the money which has been received
has been placed in a special fund
dmultluE uloBoSAbAOh Wy Iht ASStioh
ture.
In the report of the commissioner a
number of changes in the laws are rec
commended, all of which 1 believe are
worthy of your consideration. OF these
the recommendation hat the two land
boards be consolidated is most import
ant, as while the constitution provides
for two different boards they are prac-
tically the same, the only difference
being that the state treasurer is a
member of the school land board but
not a member of the state land board.
A constitutional amendment should
be submitted to the people providing
for the consolidation of these two
boards, and it might be well to make
the state auditor a member of the
board, as having five rather than four
members would make 1t possible to
have a quorum present to do business
when two members are absent from the
capital, which is not possible with u
board composed of four members.
The present law provides that a per-
son having title to n residence on
land nearest to a piece of state liant
shall have the preference right to
lease. This / believe to be an unfair
provision as Ii is based entirely upon
the location of the applicants home,
and / would recommend that this law
be amended so that the owning of prop
erty nearest the and rather than res
ldence upon the same may be the basis
for preference right. Also there
should be some provision whereby a
person having actual use for land
should be given preference over one
who owns no livestock and has little
or no use for a lease except that he
may assign 1t for profit to someone
else who has use for IL. Further, there
are instances where business that has
been built up within the state which
Is largely dependent upon the continu-
Gus use of state lands, as they have
leased lands for years when others
would not lease them, and often 1t has
been through them that the state has
taken up n acquired title to lands.
The oil industry has become one of
the most important Industries in the
state.
Soldiers Bonus.
The government owns millions of
acres of lands in the western states
and these lands should be given out
right to those who took part In the
war. Those who desired to settle on
the lands could do 50, while those who
did not care for land could either dis
pose of them or their right to acquire
them. Not only would this provide a
home for the soldier which he is not
likely to get otherwise, but at the same
lime 1t would be of untold benefit to
the western states as in this way all
appropriated and unreserved pub
lie lands would Immediately pass into
private ownership.
II such a plan meets with your APP
prevail. i would suggest that n reso-
luton be passed requesting Congress
to carry out this suggestion.
Agriculture.
While agriculture has been much
benefited by the Agricultural Exten-
sion Department of the university, l
believe, considering the nature of the