Show R Road oa d C. C Commission I I I Advised It Could Could- Not Lease Ground It was wag stated at the capitol today that the state road commission wa was ad advIsed advised advised ad- ad I last week that It could not make makeI any contract for the disposal of or the I state gravel gra pit unless it was submitted Rube Rubt submitted sub Rub to t the stat slat land commissioner o i who alone e of a all state officials has th the j I right to dispose ole of ot public lands It was pointed out to the commission that article twenty of the con constitution prohibited prohibited pro pro- I the commission from disposIng disposIng disposing ing of ot the gravel pit J Article 20 othe constitution reads I thus j I All An lands of ot the state that haet have ha t been or may hereafter be granted to the state by congress and all an l lends lands acquired d by gift grant or devise from any person or corporation or that may be OTHERWISE ACQUIRED are hereby accepted and declared to b be bethe the public land of ot the tho state an and l shall be held and disposed of as may be provIded provided pro pro- vided b by law It was also pointed out to state road commission that the purchase of I the gravel permit was without any au authority au- au of ot law and that the commission commission commission commis commis- sion had no authority whatever to tomake tomake tomake make purchase o of lands The Tho purchase purchase purchase pur pur- chase which was made by a former commission wa was paid for out o of the suspense fund of at the commission this suspense fund being from the sale of ot bonds authorized b by the state for road building purposes alone and which were held until a proper distribution j I could be made to the several counties At the time that the purchase was made It Is 15 declared t that at the question 1 i iwas was discussed as to the right of ot the I commission to make the purchase and the advice given ln at tho the time was that there was no authority by which the commission could make the purchase I This same advice was given g the commission commission com corn mission as stated last week and b by the same authority as before but despite this the commission Is arranging a I contract which is to supplant a contract contract contract con con- tract signed by the president of ot the I commission for leasing the state gravel pit and which lease is alleged to have not been authorized I |