The Lamar register., 1922-06-21
LAND OFFICE CHANGE
Offices of Register and Receiver Com
bined and S. +. Speckmann of
Springfield Appointed.

the WEI II Dtti iouiu N.'sAi
to dose a number of land offices,
owing to small amount of patronage.
This throws extra costs on those pat
rons of the offices that still have any
business to transact. In order to
extend the period of existence of the
most -ceded offices as long as possible
a law was passed empowering the Sec
retary Of Interior where business is
rapidly shrinking in land office to
combine the offices of register and
receiver, and make one salary instead
of two. This it IS believed will enable
a number of offices to last few years
longer and accommodate the public ad-
jacent to them for that length OF time.
Under this ruling the Secretary of
Interior last week announced the con-
solidation of the two offices in the
Lamar land office, and the President
sent to the Senate the name of S. f.
Speckmanu of Springfield as the new
official. The consolidation will take
effect as soon as he is confirmed and
ob:ains his commission. 1t is expected
that i. will be tile first OF August.
The business of the office here has
been rapidly declining the past two
years owing to the exhaustion Of the
public domain so far as this district
is concerned and this time there is no
hope Of a revival such as occurred about
fifteen years ago Wien the office was
orlered closed, OILY to be revived in
its las. thirty days by the rush of
western immigration which swept over
the plains and grew in intensity for
ten years. Then there was ample land
to make a revival possible-now there
is none.
Msssrs. A. l.. Beavers, register, and
X. j. McGrath, receiver, of the Lamar
land office have held office over seven
yeas, having assumed the duties of
those positions early in the year 1913.
They nave had charge of the office
during its period of heaviest business
in all It's history except the two won
derfui years when it was first started,
1887 end 1888, and they have discharg-
ed heir duties in manner both fair
and impartial, giving general salts
faction % the patrons of the office.
Mr.. Speckmann, the incoming official,
is Springfield business man and was
formerly editor of the paper there,
and at one time postmaster. He has
for several years been United States
Commissioner for his district and in
that capacity has been familiar with
the taking of land proofs which is
now the principal business of the of
flee. He will make competent and
accommodating official.
The Lamar la=d office was ordered
established by act of Congress on
July 2S, 1886, but was not opened for
business until the first day Of January,
1887, nth Frank P. Arbuckle as first
register and Frank Shrock, US receiv-
er. The rush at tie start was such
as 20 AXE nearly a dozen clerks nee
essary n the office and additional ones
in the offices of county judge and dis
trict clerk at Las Arimas and Trinidad
where many of the proofs were made.
1t remained what is known as
mximum office for about five years
when it began to drop rapidly and in
the fall of 1905 was ordered discon-
tinued ard Joined on to the Pueblo
land office. The revival Of the land
boom then sweeping over Kansas
crossed the line into Colorado Just
thirty days ahead of the removal and
this with active work by our citizens
and commercial club saved the office
The boom continued to increase in in
tensity until the government land Is
now all taken but few thousand acres
of the most undesirable class. The
end ic now in sight, and while the new
rule may delay the removal for
period of four years the final outcome
is certain
The office is now no longer special
drawing card for the city and the |
zfS hut