6.1, MONTANA 19U 



tol ; 50,000 acres for the Deaf and Dumb School; 100,000 acres for the 

 Normal colleg'e; 50,000 acres for the Reform School; 100,000 acres for the 

 School of Mines, and approximate!}^ 50,000 acres for the State Universitv. 

 Under the terms of the grant none of this land may be sold for less than 

 $10.00 per acre, or where appraised at a hig-her fii^ure may not be 

 sold for less than the appraised value. Up to the end of the fiscal year 

 of 1912 there had been sold from these various grants the following: 

 Common school land, 442,196 acres; Agricultural College, 25,336 acres; 

 Capitol building. 49,101 acres; Deaf and Dumb Asylum, 9,652 acres; Normal 

 college,, 26,415 acres; Reform School, 6.153 ac^'i'es ; School of Mines, 33,374 

 acres ; State University, 26,196 acres. The proceeds from these land sales 

 form permanent investment funds with which the State buys state, county, 

 municipal and school district bonds, the interest on which is devoted towards 

 the maintenance of the various institutions. Under the terms of the land 

 grant the principal of these funds is held in trust in pcrpetuit}^ for the 

 various institutions. 



In disposing of these land holdings the State has adopted a liberal policy 

 and one which is destined to encourage settlers in coming to this State. The 

 State government takes the view that Montana will gain in the long run by 



cutting up its vast domain rather than by playing the part 

 Montana of the speculator and ho'lding the land for the purpose of 



Not a profiting by the unearned increment. Tt is believed that it 



Speculator. is better for these lands to be sold at the present time for 



from $10.00 tO' $20.00 an acre than to be sold some years 

 hence at double that price. 



The State's land holdings are administered under the direction of the 

 State Board of Land Com^missioners, composed of the Governor, Secretary 

 of State, Attorney General and Superintendent of Public Instruction. The 

 executive authority of the board is exercised by the State Land Office, 

 presided over by the Register of State Lands and the State Land Agent. 

 This department maintains not only an adequate office force to facilitate 

 the prompt transaction of its vast volume of business, but also each season 

 has a large field force engaged in selecting, classifying and appraising 

 these lands. 



The State's holding's emljrace land in every county in the State, as 

 shown in the table printed below. All land sold is on a competitive basis, 

 the land being auctioned off after application for purchase has been made 

 and the sale duly advertised. Under the law the state land 

 Character board is compelled to hold a state land sale in. every count}- at 

 of State least once every two years, but it is the practice of the board 



Lands. to hold sales as often as may be required by the public con- 



venience. No land is offered for sale except that for which 

 application has been duly made, a nominal fee of 50 cents being required 

 to file an application for purchase. 



— Once a Montanan, always a Montanan. 



