The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-10-26
COMET WRITES
ON AMENDMENT
Director of Forestry c. Nj.
Comet Calls Attention to
Amendment No. 4.

In the general election of 1894 the
voters Of Minnesota viii be asked TO
express their opinion on the matter of
an amendment to the Constitution of
the State allowing the State to ex-
change state owned lands for those held
by the q. s. Government.
It is highly important that this
amendment be adopted in order TO
make it possible to put into effect a
like administration for State Forests.
more economical, efficient and business
In our present set-up of State Forests
the State now owns many scattered
areas of State Forest lands within the
boundaries of National Forests. These
lands, located as they now are, are
difficult and expensive to administer
and there IS also duplication of effort
between the State and Federal govern
ment in protecting these lands.
With this exchange and consoI-
dation it VIII make possible better fire
protection and forest management. It
VIII reduce the cost of administration
and eliminate duplication of work aid
proper consolidation fix the response
bility for the taking care Of these lands
more definitely. At present we have
cooperative arrangements between the
Federal Government and the State, but
these are not as satisfactory as though
either one or the other owned the land.
With the consolidation of these lands
there viii be much better control of the
growing and sale of timber on State
lands.
Under present conditions it is diff
cult to make up MANAGEMENT plan
where State and Federal lands are in
termingled. The Federal regulations
and the State laws regarding the sale
OF timber are different, and it is diff
cult to try to work out a cutting cycle
under different sets of regulations.
With the consolidation of lands ii
win make it easier to watch the timber
trespaSS, since the lands viii be more
in group and not widely scattered as
they now are.
Should this amendment be adopted
and these lands decided to the Federal
Government, the State in accordance
with the amendment would retain title
to any and all mineral, water and water
power rights.
Tn iS tharofora 1,;,t,1,- z..;-.LY -.
there be extended to the State Legis-
fature authority to enable it to enact
laws making it possible for the auth
critics of the State to exchange some
or all OF these holdings with those of
equal value owned by the United States
Government. This can Immediately be
done through the adoption of the
amendment.
Proposed Amendment No. 4.
BY the adoption of Chapter 443 of
the Laws of 1888 the legislature has
proposed an amendment to Article 8
OF the State Constitution. This amend
ment win not add to or alter any
existing section of the Constitution, but
viii add new section to be known as
Section 8 of Article g. The proposed
amendment reads as follows:
ANY of the public lands of the state,
including lands held in trust for any
purpose, may, with the approval Of a
commission consisting of the governor,
the attorney general and the state
auditor, be exchanged for lands of the
United States and other privately
owned lands as the legislature may
provide, and the lands so acquired shall
be subject to the trust, if any, to which
the lands exchanged therefor were
subject, and the state shall reserve all
mineral and water and water power
rights In lands so transferred by the
state"
The Purpose and Effect of the Pro-
posed Amendment.
The purpose and effect of this
amendment is to authorize the iegis-
lature to provide for exchanging any
of the public lands Of the state for
lands Of the United States and land
privately owned, such exchanges to be
made with the approval of a COM
mission consisting of the governor, the
attorney general and the state auditor.
Such exchanges of land cannot now be
made because the State Constitution
does not permit the Legislature TO
authorize the sale Of school lands, state
swamp lands and state internal i'm
! provement lands except by public sale.
One immediate purpose in granting
such authority Is to make it possible
for the state to acquire compact areas
of iAn6 for forestry and other conserva-
ton purposes by exchanging land out
side OF such conservation area for lands
OF the United States and privately
owned lands within such areas.
The amendment requires that all
mineral rights, water rights and water
power rights in lands so transferred by
the state shall be reserved. The land
so Acquired VIII become subject to the
same trust, II any, as the land disposed
OF, for examine II school land - r,;v.~,