White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1925-12-18
Hartley Criticizes
State Land Sales
Governor Declares Loggers
Have Obtained Timber
on Low Bids.

on Low Bids.
Criticism of the Land
Missions policy of withholding state
timber cruises from the public, and
an indirect charge that the state in
recent years has not been getting the
market value for its timber, were the
high points in the special message de-
nvered by Gov. Roland H. Hartley TO
the Legislature.
The governor restated his position
on education, urging a single govern
ing board for the five institutions OF
higher education, abolition OF the
Office Of superintendent of public in
struction and the printing OF public
textbooks by the state printer. He
repeated his plea for retrenchment in
road construction expenses. His mes
sage contained no reference to rec
lamation.
After the dissolution of the joint
session friends, in both houses, of the
commission, which is composed OF
Land Commissioner Clark V. Savidge,.
Auditor c. w. C1ausen and Treasurer
William g. Potts, declared that an in
vestigation of the department and
full disclosure Of all facts had been
made imperative by the governors
declarations.
Charges Sale Prices Too Low
In his address, Governor Hartley
declared, relative to a sale of $40
acres in Lewis County:
"Here is a piece happen to know
something about. That sale, $80,5OO,
was for piece of timber cruised by
one reputable cruiser at 100000
feet, by another reputable cruiser at
45,OOO,0O0, and still another at 56,0OO,-
900 feet. At that time timber was
worth SIS thousand on the stump
The deductions you must figure out
for yourself"
In other words, the governor stated
that while the timber was worth So a
thousand feet, the state received So a
thousand for it.
savidge Court Investigation.
Land Commissioner Savidge said
afterwards that he had not heard the
governors message, but, naturally, ne
would not object to a full inyestiga-
ton Of all transactions Of the Land
Department.
Howl 1nNyS 20 nc a 90
delivered to the join session In two
parts, one read from typewriter
manuscript and the other delivered
extemporaneously.
In the first part the executive re-
stated his position on education, on
further construction Of highways, the
public printing of grade school text
books, and toward the close took up
the subject of timber lands, which he
expanded upon after he had laid his
written speech aside.
At one time Governor Hartley de-
parted from his main topics to de-
plore the feeling Of antagonism which
he said seemed to exist between the
legislative and executive branches.
II have been misrepresented, lied
about, and abused" he said. "Why is
1t necessary for abusive things to be
said on either side?"
Would Avert Timber Monopoly
He declared that the state could
not get the market price for its
timber unless the Legislature saw to
1t that competition is provided. He
said there is no competition now, and
that I'VE must see to it that the big
fellow with his railroad is not given
monopoly over this great heritage
of the states school children"
The governor again urged that the
law be changed so that logging rail-
roads crossing state lands be re-
quired to haul "the other fellows
timber for fair compensation"
Officials Secrecy AssaiIed.
."All ask" said Governor Hartley,
"is law to provide that any operator
who owns logging: railroad built
across state lands, or who purchases
state timber, shall be required to haul
timber cut from other state lands, re-
CARELESS of where the lands are To-
Gated or who cuts the timber. This
is not the law now.
at is impossible under present pro-
cedure for the public to know, from
this states cruises, how much timber
there is on any acre of state land that
has been sold, or how much there is
on any acre that is to be sold. The
boards which control the sale of state
timber have decreed that it is against
good policy to let these facts be
known.
~ want law that will tear the
mask Of secrecy off this timber bust
ness. I am not ready to admit that
it is ever good public policy to refuse
to let the public know about it's own
business"
After the joint session had dig
solved, senators and representatives
interpreted the governors criticism
of the state timber sales as an attack
c&o%o TorJ