The Slate Land Office

From the l.auting Kopublicau The annual report of State Land Coinmissioner L. A. Ciapp, showing tho business of nis office for tho fiscal year endiug September 30, 1873, has just bpen sen' to press. It is eoncisely arranged, witl statements and exhibits of theamount ot land sold belonging to the various trust funds, and also the amount of swamj lands sold and disposed of during tht year. ïhe total sales ofPrimary School Lanc during the year aniounted to 29,179 acres for fl 16,91 l.against 43,372 acres for $174,241 during 1872, - a decrease from last year of 14,193 acres. Of the total sales 8,305.37 acres were for quarter payments of the principal at the time of the pur ohase ; 1 ,440 acres for half paymeut, auc 19,433.68 acres for full paymeut. The unpaid principal upon these lands is pay ablo at tho option of the purchaser, witl seven per cent interest annually on March 1. The total receipts on account of principal for the year were $127,310,0agaiust $155,097 59 for the year 1872 on account of interest, $49,441, 39, anc on account of penalty $2,000 62. The principal of this Trust Fund, paid and uupaid, used for the support of the corn nion schools, now reaches $3,124,471 78 Of the Priinary school Lands there are yet unsold 374,520 39 acres. Under the act of Congress of May 20 1826, appropriating public land for pri mary school purposes, there was to be found a deficieney of 49,030 acres. These lands are now being sclected by D. J Evans, Swamp land Koad Commissiouer He has already selected the amount due from the Detroit district, being 5,88 acres, and 5,198 due from the Saginaw district. Lists of these lands have been forwarded to Washington for ayprova' Mr. Evans is now eugaged in makiug selectionsiii the Upper Peninsula Geo. E Steele, of Elk liapids, has been engagec to select 8,443 acres from the Grand Trav erse district. The seiections made thu far have been a fair quality of farmin, lands, covered principally with beech anc inaple timber. The comminioner looks with favor up on act No. 67 of 1873, which requires tha 50 per cent of the purctiase ruoney shal be paid for primary school and Uuiversi ty lands instead of oue -quarter paymen as heretofore. Many of these lauds ar valuable chiefly on accouut of the timbe and the amouut of purchase mouey wa so small that after stripping the timbe off, the purchasers would allow them 1o revert to the State by forfaiture. Ther are many valuable lauds still unsold which como under the operation of thi act. No TJniversity lands have been solc during the year, and there remain vacan and subject to sale 116 acres. The receipt on account of principal of the Universi ty fund were $3,505 31 against $5,521 4' lor the previous year ; and on account o interest, $8,460 39 against $8,257 94. ■ There was also ïeceived for penalty du ring the year $215 75. Of Infernal Improvement lands tbere are yet unsold 420 acres. No sales were made during the year. The Moiniul School lands were all dis posed of in tormer years, and there are yet 115certificates on which ba-lanóes arf due to the aniount of $19,386. During the year there were ïeceived on aaooun of this fuud $1,863 52 principal, $1,677,9 interest, and for penalty $49 82. Of the Asyluiu lands, 720 acres runain unsold. Theoulysaie made duriug the year was a t'orfeited lot of 40 acres whiel orought $160. The receipts on accoun of principal were $1,200, interest $1,155, 96, and penalty ?(6 66. There are no vacant State building lands, and the uumber of unpaid certili cates is 63, the principal auiouuting to $3,984 41. The amount ruceived during the year on account of principal was $'263 25. interest 298 26, and penaltj $18 90. Oí Salt Springs lands there are vacant 1,215 acres. Ne sales were made during the year. There was receivt-d on account of principal $471 21 ; interest $1,064 04 and penalty $87 18. During the year ) 7,205 acres of Agncultural College lauds were sold for $54, 177 67, against 20,580 acres for $65,660 75 for 1872. Of the amount stated, 1,281 acres sold at $5 per acre, and 15,925 at f 5 per acre. The receipts on principal were $29,583 47, against 33,621 93 for 1872 interest, $4,940 87, against $3,150 08 foi 1872 ; penalty, 110 90. There are yet 171,234 acres of college lands subject to sale. During the year 50,328 acres of swamp Jands have been sold for $62,871 03, against 51,922 acres for $64,897 63 in 1872. Of forfeited swamp lands for cash 2,976 'acres have been sold for $3,154 69. To actual settlers under the Homestead act there have been patented 6,820 acres and the total number of acres licensed Huring the year uuder Homestead laws is 19,443. The whole number of acres pateuted on account of Swarnp Land ioad and ditches, under general acts, is 161,716, at a valué of $207,803 88 ; and patented under special acts, 94,903 acres, valued at $118,628 81. Of the irregular sales of land made near the close of Mr. Edmond's term of office, Commissioner Clapp, saya that 4,049 acres were swamp lands which had never been patented to the State ; 3,080 acres of Indemnity Swamp Lands which had been patented to the State but had no public offering; 4,375 acres reserved to the Chicago & Northwestern Kailway Company ; and 2,200 acres of Priinary School Lands which had been reserved as mineral land. Of the lands sold which had not been patented to the State, theentire list purchased by Cyrus Hewitt, amounting to 2,440 acres, and that purchased by E II Scott, aniounting to 700 acres, have boen reconveyed to the State. Ex Commiasioner Bdmouds gives us a reasou tor helling the lands resyrved as mineral lauds, that there had been no official reserve by the Governor as contetnplated in act 145, laws of 1863. The ie; also requires that there should be a reoffering prior to a private sale, but in the case nothing of the kind was ever done and the lands old at $4 per acre. It is shown that 600 acres of this class of lands had been officiaHy reserved and a minimum paice of $7 per acre üxed upon them. The amount received and paid into the office for field notes and plats during the year was $3,350 75 agaiust $3,096 49 for 1872.