Show DAVIS DAMS SEEKS CLEARING OF LAND RIGHTS Chairman of State Board noard of or Land Commissioners in Conferring WI S Secretary tar of Interior v J f R. R E Davis chairman of the i. i state board of or land commissioners commissioners' has hlis been in Washington several da days taking up with the secretary of ot the interior and the representatives In iii congress congress from Utah the tho matter of the states state's rights to the school lauds lands ceded by br the federal government when statehood was granted Mr Davis said The people of at Utah little realize that this state has hasa a smaller income for the tho financing of the state schools than most of the western states and any of the eastern eastern east east- ern states This condition h lies has s Keen hren brought about by circumstances and no one individual can DO oo called d responsible In the first place Utah as a territory territory ter ter- ter- ter was vastly more thickly populated populated populated pop pop- than other western states when it was admitted as a state to the union All of the good lands through the valleys were taken up and in surveying these lands the federal federal federal fed fed- eral government as is customary allowed the settlers to have the first right to the lands although in many instances these lands were In the sections in each township were given to the state as school landsAll lands All AH the salt lanes land or of the state was taken back by the government I and the school land which came under under under un un- der this heading was given giyen back and lieu lands were not as good The mineral lands were next taken back and once again we were forced to choose lieu lands Much of the lands left at that time were either on top of the mountains or on the tho great salt desert The national forest reserve also took away much of the tho good lands of the tho state until until until un un- un- un til now tho federal government has 75 15 per cent of the tho lands lauds of the tho state and the state has 25 per cent The state legislature In the early early early ear ear- ly history of that state lands should sell at an acre In Montana the state lands sell at not less than 10 an acre This cut down the school revenue I am not taking the position of criticising the legislature for lor making such a ruling rulIng ruling rul rul- ing for in most cases the land which the state had left to sell was not worth more than an acre I I 1 cannot hope hove to change these conditions now v but I am going to tomake tomake tomako make mako an effort to establish just what the state rights are to mineral lands Utah should be allowed the privilege of determining where these mineral lands are located now and given the opportunity to choose lieu lands at once before any more moro lands are aro taken away j |