Upper Peninsula but a large part of 

 the Lower Peninsula included, about 

 95 per cent, of all land was unim- 

 proved and about 87 per cent, not 

 even settled! 



According to the Auditor General's 

 office there have been for years about 

 six million acres of land which the 

 State held for non-payment of taxes 

 and which are making a useless ex- 

 penditure of money for the State in 

 the way of advertising and clerk- 

 hire, this expenditure in five years 

 amounting to over $800,000. 



Six million acres, or one-sixth of 

 the entire State, in soak for taxes! 



What this land is like requires no de- 

 scription; the fact that people did not 

 care to pay taxes on this land is suf- 

 ficient indication. It is cut and burn- 

 ed-over pinery, desolate, fire-charred 

 stump-waste, which has not grown a 

 crop since the forest was destroyed. 

 It has lain and lies now idle and 

 waste, involving a loss of more than 

 a million dollars every year. 



Several million acres of similar 

 lands are held by private parties. 

 These people are waiting to see what 

 can be done with these lands and 

 stand ready to do the right thing as 

 soon as a chance is given. 



"But these lands will all be set- 

 tled," you will say. This same thing 



II 



