MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 



Speculators To Blame 



For Tax Sale Evils. 



A recent issue of the Crystal Falls Diamond 

 Drill contains startling information concerning 

 the methods of the land speculators who, the 

 writer declares, are responsible for most of 

 the trouble that the state has had in disposing 

 of its tax lands. It is a matter of common 

 knowledge that Michigan has given over large 

 acreages of valuable land for a mere song to 

 these speculators, and that in the past the 

 revenue derived from the sale of tax lands 

 has not paid for the expense of advertising 

 these lands according to law. The Drill states 

 unequivocally that the land speculator is re- 

 sponsible for this state of affairs and cites an 

 illustration to prove its point. In order to 

 eradicate the land speculator it is recom- 

 mended that the state make known the ap- 

 praised value of its lands and that they be sold 

 only in the county in which they lie. We quote 

 as follows : 



"As an explanation of the the way things 

 are done, we cite the large sale made recently 

 of Iron county lands. This sale was made 

 in October, 1908, at Lansing. 



"Early in the summer a man was sent to 

 look over these lands and make an appraisal 

 of them. The figures he set upon them were 

 kept a secret and carefully guarded. 



Lists Placed With Agents. 



"The sale was advertised to take place at 

 Lansing, and in order to attend it a person 

 had to spend at least $50. When he got there 

 he found that the agents at Lansing who made 

 a specialty of handling tax lands had adver- 

 tised throughout the state that they would 

 buy in descriptions at a minimum charge per 

 forty. As a result the men with money had 

 placed large lists with a certain agent who 

 could reasonably guarantee that he would be 

 first in at the private sale which always fol- 

 lows the public sale, and at which all descrip- 

 tions not bid off at public sale can be bought 

 at the appraised value. 



"This agent advised everyone 'not to bid' 

 and he attended the sale simply to protect his 

 clients. If a bid was made on any description 

 wanted by his clients he bid a cent over right 

 along up to his limit. 



"In the meantime the sale opened. A de- 

 scription was offered, and if John Smith (who 

 had paid $50 to go down from Iron county 

 to bid on it) wanted to buy it, he made a bid. 

 It is human nature to try to buy as cheaply 

 as possible, and Smith is no exception. If no 

 one opposes him, his bid is compared with the 

 appraised value, and if not equal to it the com- 

 missioner announces 'no sale.' If the Lansing 

 agent has the description on his list, he keeps 

 on bidding over Smith until he tires him out, 

 the object of the small bids being to keep the 

 price as low as possible. When the last bid 

 is made, it is compared with the appraisal, 

 and if above it is sold; if not it is passed to 

 be sold to the Lansing agent next morning. 



"Now, as to this sale next morning. The 

 first man in is the man who gets the pick of 

 all the lands on the list. The sale is generally 

 made the morning after the public sale. 



A Bargain Counter Scramble. 



"Our Lansing agent has several athletes 

 hired, sprinters, pugilists, etc., to secure and 

 hold the place in front of the door, generally 

 standing there all night. Last fall one fellow 

 attempted to dispute the place with one of 

 these hired 'pugs' and a fight ensued in which 

 the fellow butting in got the worst of it and 

 another hired 'pug' stepped in the first one's 

 place at the door. 



"That's the way the state of Michigan sells 

 its tax lands. That's the method by which 

 it encourages speculators. 



"Now. if the bidders all knew the value at 

 which these lands are appraised they would 

 bid that the first time and have an even chance 

 with the other fellow. No matter where the 

 bid stopped, it would be a sale; but under the 

 'blind' method a man fears he will not bid 



enough and so puts his lands in the hands of 

 the agent and the state, and, instead of getting 

 a square deal, is the victim ofi a hold-up. 



"li these lands- were sold in the counties in 

 which they lie, the people of the county who 

 know the lands would have an opportunity 'to 

 bid on them, and the speculator, instead of the 

 poor .man. would be under the expense of mak- 

 ing the trip, competition would result and the 

 state woxild win. 



"As to the appraisal, some lands are under- 

 valued, others are over valued. No land was 

 appraised at less than a dollar an acre, and but 

 little less than $1.50. The appraisal is not 

 where the state gets it in the neck; it's in the 

 collusion between the buyer and the land 

 agent. 



"With the necessity for such collusion elimi- 

 nated, and the reservation of mineral rights, 

 there would be nothing wrong with the state 

 land sales." 



STATE HAS LOST $12,000,000. 



That the report of the inquiry on forestry 

 and kindred questions of state interest must 

 be followed, and the system of disposing of 

 public lands completely overhauled and cor- 

 rected, is the assertion of the house committee 

 of the Michigan legislature on forestry. Rep- 

 resentative John O. Maxey has investigated the 

 public tax land question, has traveled about 

 the state somewhat on his own hook, and with 

 the information he has collected in years of 

 tax land dealing, coupled with his recent ob- 

 servation, is prepared to make a fight for the 

 reformation along lines suggested by the com- 

 mission of inquiry. 



The general opinion seems to be that Lans- 

 ing is notorious for the opportunities for grab- 

 bing good state lands. It is asserted that in- 

 terests representing millions of dollars are en- 

 gaged in picking up the choice bits of state 

 tax land. The charge is made that the tax 

 lands of the state are underappraised and in 

 many instances are not appraised at all as pre- 

 scribed by law. 



Mr. Maxey, who declines to discuss the issue, 

 is said to have figures compiled that indicate 

 how by ordinarily economical methods in place 

 of the present wasteful, lax system of handling 

 state tax lands, a total of $12,000,000 could 

 county, 2.413 miles, macadam; state reward, 

 have been saved the state in the last six years. 

 And this would be enough for the entire ex- 

 pensese of the state government for the next 

 ensuing two years. 



The allegation is made that state lands are 

 now selling for less than one-fifth, as a general 

 thing, of what they are worth. There are now 

 upward of 850,000 acres of state tax and tax 

 homestead lands on the books, and it is 

 claimed a change to a more economical and 

 fair method of appraisement and sale, which 

 would let in the independent bidder where 

 only special interests now have full sway, the 

 state lands would net at least $4,000,000 more 

 than on the present rate of appraisement. 

 Land valuable for timber alone is being picked 

 up at rock bottom prices, only to be immedi- 

 ately dropped and permitted to revert to the 

 state when the timber has been cut. 



There is no question that the forestry mat- 

 ter is to be one of the big things of the present 

 session of the legislature, and Representative 

 John O. Maxey apparently will occupy a 

 prominent position with reference to this big 

 issue. He has seen both sides of the proposi- 

 tion. He knows all its ins and outs and there- 

 fore recognizes the value of the special in- 

 quiry board's report and recommendation. 



There is much feeling in the house that the 

 state officials most interested should step in 

 and attempt to kill the Morrice bill withdraw- 

 ing state lands from the market. The trend 

 of the times, according to those supporting 

 the measure, is along the lines of the board 

 of inquiry's report, and efforts to block the 

 introduction of such measures on the part of 

 state employes, it is threatened, will rebound 

 in no uncertain manner. 



STANTON HAS A FORESTRY ASSOCI- 

 ATION. 



A number of Stanton citizens who are inter- 

 ested in forestry have organized a local for- 

 estry association called the Stanton Forestry 

 Association. 



The objects of the organization are to work 

 in acc'ord with the Michigan Forestry Associ- 

 ation, to promote and encourage the love of 

 i irestry and tree planting in Stanton city and 

 Muntcalm county; to protect the young and 

 growing trees and to plant new trees in the 

 door yards, the fields and 'along the highways; 

 to prevent needless waste in cutting timber, 

 e.-pecially second growth, and to guard against 

 the careless setting of fires which may cause 

 damage to timber. 



The following officers of the association 

 were elected: President, John W. S. Pierson; 

 vice-president, M. W. Stevenson; secretary, 

 Delos A. Towle; treasurer, Fred E. Moffatt; 

 trustees, E. D. Straight, O. B. Filkins, Charles 

 H. Carothers and E. O. Bellows. 



The president appointed the following vice- 

 presidents from the townships adjoining Stan- 

 ton: Day, Daniel P. Masco; Douglas, Hugh 

 Hillis. Jr.; Sidney, E. C. Lowry; Evergreen, 

 James De Young. 



AN EXAMPLE FOR MICHIGAN. 



The forest commission of the State of New 

 York has powers which ought to be invested 

 in the forestry commission in Michigan or in 

 any new community which the legislature may 

 create at this session. 



Recently it became known that an option 

 had been secured on a particularly fine tract 

 of virgin timber, comprising 60,000 acres, in 

 the Adirondacks district in New York state. 

 1't was the intention of those who secured the 

 option to organize a big company and strip 

 the land of timber. The matter was brought 

 to the attention of the forest commission, and 

 prompt action was taken. Forty thousand 

 acres of the tract were condemned and placed 

 within the forest reserve by the state land 

 board. The owner of the tract suffers nothing 

 through the operation and one of the finest 

 stands of hardwood timber in New York state 

 has been saved from destruction, and a valu- 

 able watershed is protected. 



"The tract in question is in Herkimer county, 

 south of Beaver river, and is one of the finest 

 hardwood sections in the Adirondack country," 

 says Commissioner J. S. Whipple. "To have 

 cut off the timber would have uncovered all 

 of that watershed tributary to Beaver, Moose 

 and Black rivers. 



"I learned that Mrs. Mary Fisher, owner of 

 the tract, had given an option on the property 

 until April, so I arranged for a meeting of the 

 land board, which proceeded to condemn 40,000 

 acres within the forest preserve, thus prevent- 

 ing the destruction of the timber." 



NATIONAL FORESTS. 



Conservative management of timberlands is 

 assured for less than one-fourth of this coun- 

 try's forested areas, the part contained in the 

 national forests and under the administration 

 of the United States forest service. By cut- 

 ting only the mature trees and protecting the 

 new growth by keeing out fires, the national 

 forests will be made to yield indefinitely. It 

 can not be expected that this small part of 

 the nation's forests will supply the demand for 

 future generations and the one hope is that 

 users of wood and lumber manufacturers, will 

 insure the permanence of their business by 

 applying the principles of forestry in the man- 

 agement of timberlands. 



ADDS TO FOREST RESERVE. 



President Roosevelt has signed a proclama- 

 tion, making an addition of more than 330,000 

 acres to the Cleveland national forest in South- 

 ern California. The same proclamation elimi- 

 nates 1,682 acres of land not considered suit- 

 able for national forest purposes from the 

 Cleveland forest. After these changes the 

 forest has a present area of more than 1,573,- 

 000 acres. 



