ARTICLE It 



By far the largest owner of bankrupt land in Northern Michigan 

 is the state. 



The state, as landlord, at this time has title in a million acres, in 

 round numbers. The amount varies from day to day, as lands revert 

 for taxes and trades are made to consolidate the public holdings. The 

 greater part of this state-owned territory has been organized into a 

 public domain. Lands in the public domain are not on sale, except to 

 round out and perfect its geographical organization. The greater part 

 of Michigan's landed estate is therefore out of the market. 



Most of the privately-owned land where bankrupt or near bankrupt 

 acreage prevails is on the market, but not much is being sold now, 

 except for grazing. Traveling northward, making inquiries as to land 

 ownership as you go, you will find that the size of individual and 

 corporate holdings increase. In the Upper Peninsula a trifle more than 

 30 concerns own 6,000,000 acres. 



Lands in general are being spoken of timber lands, potential farm- 

 ing lands, grazing lands and waste lands. There are two or three 

 corporations on this side of the Straits which appear to have title in 

 acreages that aggregate as much as some of the large Upper Penin- 

 sula holdings. There are many persons who would like to know just 

 how much, and also how much of each kind of land. There is the 

 United States Government's Agricultural Department, for instance, 

 more especially the Forestry Bureau. A Congressional resolution, 

 originating with Senator Arthur Capper, calls on the Forestry Depart- 

 ment to find out how much standing timber is left in this country. 

 The department has been trying. The result in Michigan has been 

 similar to the result achieved by investigators from the University of 

 Michigan and by The News scout, who followed the trail up into the 

 State Assessors' office. All these visitors were asking the same ques- 

 tions. ':v. -''' : - i- i -J 

 DEAL IN DESCRIPTIONS. 



To the questions about ownership and extent of ownership this was 

 the answer: The field books of the* assessors contain the information, 

 but it never has been assembled. Getting it in form to answer the 

 questions would mean the work of several relatively expert persons 

 for several weeks. 



What the assessors deal with is descriptions, not names of owners, 

 in their formulated records. While tax levies are made on individuals 

 and corporations in their names, they get a bill, not for their whole 

 properties but for parts according to descriptions numbering hundreds 

 for some owners. Segregation and assembling of these areas according 

 to ownership, with illuminating notes as to the character of the lands 

 timbered, cut over, swamp or what not would be valuable information 

 and the assessors are quite willing to let anyone who wants it come 

 and take it. The men from the United States Forestry Department 

 took a look, proclaimed the value of the data in the field books, said 

 they ought to have the material in assembled form, and that they 

 might be back. That was mont'hs ago and they have not returned. 



In the assessors' office the opinion prevails that the information 

 would be valuable for the state especially since there seems to be a 

 remarkable new and growing interest in Michigan's one-time timber 

 lands, now waste lands. Not only the foresters but the soil men of 

 the University and colleges, the development bureaus and persons of 

 forward-looking tendencies generally are beginning to ask fundamental 

 questions about those lands. 



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