The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-04-25

ne waited so long before bringing
his bill to a vote in the house. It
was one of the first bills intro
duced and could have been brought
to q vote in the house several
weeks sooner.
A new law of unusual import
ance and interest was put upon the
statute books of the state when
the governor signed the bill Great
ing the Red Lake Game Reserve.
Through its enactment the state
comes into possession of over a
million acres of land in the coun-
ties of Beltrami, Koochiching and
Lake of the Woods, and will as
sumo payment of about 5000, 900
in drainage bonds, which the coun-
ties in question are unable to meet
or refund, owing to their bankrupt
condition. In the area taken over
there is a large amount of timber,
from which it is estimated the
state will realize about 1,250,0O0.
1t is expected that reforestation
will he given a good tryout up
there and that at the same time the
region will develop into a hunters
and fishers paradise.
Whether it is constitutional or
not, the legislature decided to au-
thorize the Rural Credit Bureau to
pay taxes on the land it has been
obliged to take over on mortgage
foreclosure in several Northern
| Minnesota counties. Unless the
state pays taxes on these lands,
some of the schools will have to
he closed for lack of money with
which to pay teachers and meet
] other expenses.
1t remains to be seen whether
some hard-headed and hardlhearted
stickler for "constitutionality" will
attempt to stop the Rural Credit
Bureau from paying taxes on state
owned lands by injunction proceed
ings.
The bill governing the diversion
of one third of the gasoline tax to
the counties, which has been a
bone of contention all winter, was
finally sent to the governor for
his signature last week. 1t pro-
vides that no county board can
use any of the money on state-aid
roads. This was victory for the
anti-Babcock forces in the legis-
lature.
The state will build an office
building adjoining the capitol at a
cost of $1,5O0,000 and commits
sion of seven non-salaried persons,
to be appointed by the governor,
will have charge of the work-not
the Big Three. That was decided
few days ago, after all sorts of
scrapping. The governor and the
house wanted the Big Three in
charge; the senate majority want
ed commission. In the end Ted
and the house leaders gave in
for a wonder!
After this building has been
completed, all state departments
whose name is legion will be hous-
ed there or in the new capitol, in
stead of being scattered all over
lSt. Paul, as now. The old capitol
and site will he sold.
When the bill appropriating over
nine million dollars for the use
of the state penal and charitable
institutions reached the governor,
his excellency cut out number of
items, aggregating $4,000.
This sum, said Ted in his veto
message, is small, "but when added
to other amounts which may be
eliminated by the legislature and
the governor will prevent an in
crease in the tax levy which would
he burdensome to the people,"
! This statement is taken as a
warming that Ted will swing the
veto AK right vigorously if the
educational bill is larger than he
thinks it ought to be.
The vets in the legislature help
ed to pass the bill imposing severe
penalties for, the sale of poison Ii
quor. This they did for two rea-
sons; because they claimed the in
PRODUCTION of such bill is an adj
mission by the drys that prohibit
ton is proving a failure-that lots
OF liquor is being sold-and be-
cause they don't want to see thirsty