TAX LANDS AND FORESTRY. 23 



State forest reserves, and in part by individuals as private timber re- 

 serves, an area sufiScient, if possible, to adequately provide for th^ pub- 

 lic needs in the future as population grows. 



(3) To allow the disposition of the forfeited tax land not utilized 

 as above only at such time and in such way as will not operate, either 

 directly or indirectly, 'to thwart or hinder the accomplishment of the 

 purpose aforesaid. , 



(4) To reserve to the State, whenever State land on or near streams 

 or lakes is disposed of, all rights of control over them or their waters 

 that full ownership of the land would give if the title were retained by 

 the State permanently. 



(5) And any wisely conceived plan along these lines, should, as its 

 complement, include the adoption of a policy aimed to secure the aid 

 and co-operation of individual effort in the fire problem and in commer- 

 cial and farm forestry. 



TO ELIMINATE PURCHASES FOR TI3IBER SKINNING, ALLOW SALES OF LAND 

 ONLY AT A MINIMUM PRICE PER ACRE PLUS THE VALUE OF FOREST 



PRODUCTS. 



So far as these objects relate to the disposition of the forfeited tax 

 land for settlement, they will be secured, it is believed, by fixing by law 

 a minimum price per acre of not less than five dollars, with the provi- 

 sion that to it shall be added the amount of the value of all saleable 

 timber and wood products. Land that is really good tillable land, will 

 find purchasers, and will be cheap enough at this price; and it is cer- 

 tainly wise to direct settlement away from the forfeited tax land if, 

 where there is any demand for land, it is not deemed good enough land 

 to command this price. Such a law will eradicate the practice of tim- 

 ber skinning, if the law is properly enforced by honest appraisal of 

 timber values. This execution of this feature of the law is the critical 

 point of this entire branch of the subject. 



To effectively eliminate the practice of timber skinning will also re- 

 quire a modification of the general tax law so as to prevent sale of the 

 State's bid by the Auditor General in such way as to give the purchaser 

 color of title as a protection for the removal of timber. The Auditor 

 General should be authorized to sell the State's bid, at any time after 

 expiration of the year of redemption following the tax sale, for the full 

 amount due for taxes, interest, expenses and charges, and to execute 

 to the person making such payment an acknowledgment thereof, the 

 same to operate as a cancellation and total annullment of the right, title 

 and interest of the State in the land ; but there should be no conveyance 

 of title or interest in the land grounded on the tax proceedings adverse 

 to the original record title, or to title resting on actual possession. Ex- 

 press provision should be made that the law shall not be so construed as 

 to extend the period of redemption, nor to extend the right of the owner 

 of the original title beyond the last day of the year following the tax 

 sale. It should be made clear that the law is not designed to confer 

 any vested right or interest upon the holder of the original title, but is 

 intended to operate solely in the interest of the State, so as to enable 

 it to cancel its right and title on receipt of all the back taxes and in- 

 cidental charges, but to do this in such way as will prevent a stranger 



