The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-01-03

N-AtA 4AA6 liz Aa0k TCdl dAANG SAS OL0 !
management, from May 1, 1920, to
May 1. 1921, to have been S324,435.87
And the cost of operation
of the state prison under
the new management for
the succeeding year to
nave been ,4ZS.65
A different in one year of STAT, 058.32
To Further Lessen Cost.
The state owns no land at the state
prison. About three miles distant the
state owns the school section formerly
used by the state highway commission
and now utilized by the prison man
agement. This section of land has
no water supply but is used as pasture
land. For several years the prison
management has leased a tract of land
about one mile distant, about 800
acres of which is irrigated, on which
is now produced the vegetables and
hay for prison use. But this year
to year arrangement is a most uncer-
tain and unsatisfactory arrangement.
The $50 prisoners now maintained
at a cost of about $160, 900 per n
mum, should at least carr their own
bread and meat without cost to the
state. The institution should own not
less than 600 acres of arabic irriga-
BILE land, with pasture land in proper
ton, where these men could be worked
in profitable dairy and stock farm
ing.
A Prison Tannery.
l believe it to be possible to estab-
fish there a state tannery, where the
farmers and stockmen of the state
could have their annual crop of hides
tanned into leather and also made up
! into farm harness for use by the
farmers and stockmen who furnish
the hides.
Under present conditions more than
one-half of these unfortunate men
can not be provided with occupation.
The result is physical and mental de-
te%rioration. There is no reason why
these men should not make their own
socks, shoes and clothing, and, in ad-
dition, all of :hese same articles o
consumed at the insane asylum and
the institution for the feeble minded
State Farm Loans.
Two years ago | called the atten-
} ton of the legislature to the ther
( alarming condition that confronted us
t in the matter of delinquencies on farm
2 loans from the permanent school fund
- At that time | found that the former
= board of land commissioners had in.
t vested, up to November 80, 1920
S4,26T 470 in these loans, and at tina
time 651 of the 2,133 loans were de
e linquent in interest payments, or thu
s equivalent of 1871 per cent. l nov
have to report TO you that 1.037 o.
these loans, or Asa per cent are de
%linguent in interest, ranging from on
to five years.
e While we have realized the TRACED,
y that these borrowers of school fund
e have faced during the five years O
unprecedented drouth and deflatio,
of farm products, and while we hav
had no possible desire to do aught t
in any way harrass or embarrass thes
unfortunate debtors, we have bee
" compelled to foreclose 108 of thes
loans, where the land had been aban
doned Or where the individual loan
n were so hopelessly involvde with de
% linquent taxes and interest as to max
repayment hopelessly impossible.
In making these foreclosures, in
volving a total original investment Q
$257,374 of the school funds, we hav
also been compelled to expend $27,81
in redemption from delinquent take:
abstracts of title, sheriffs' fees an
publication of m We hav
id added nothing for attorney foreclos
r. ure fees except the nominal pro rat
Id cost in travelling expenses incident t
D. foreclosure, averaging about $14.00 i
n each case.
n Tn odIiTfOx, IN kh0co sAQ oocoe uvkox
- foreclosures has been completed, ther
In are 155 foreclosure actions pendin
Ill in the various counties and 230 add
tional loans submitted to the Ian
- beard for foreclosure. In addition |
g the above costs incurred on loans q
h ready fopeclosed, the land board hs
10 been compefld to pay out the add
Or tional sum of $68,135 to protect til
states title on other loans in the ma
o. ter of delinquent taxes.
ne The plan has been suggested, and
o. hope it can be legally carried cut,
C. have these same lands resold to the
d. original owners on the 20-year am0
be tized payment plan now in vogue
nv the purchase of other state land
ms These twenty-year payment contrac
,0t carry a 5 per cent interest charge ar
IN the purchaser is required to pay dow
p only Is per cent of the purchase prize
It's ! submit the proposition of allowir
1t. these foreezosed lands TO be resold
lie the original owners on those terms
mt the legislature can constitutional
uf- permit of such sales without compes
NV tive bidding by outsiders.
If this plan is impossihle under Il
zee constitutional limitations, is it possib
mi by statute TO devise some way
which the original owners can exerei
right of redemption on the pa
paeBt Of Is per cent cash, the b@lan