State Lands Official
Meets With Homesteaders
(Continued from Page 1)
aproximately 12.6 million acres
or about 10 per cent to which the
state is entitled. The state has 25
years to do this job and currently
is selecting an amount about the
size of Rhode Island every 60
days.
Of the 12.6 million acres select
ed. patents have been received on
750,000 acres, Hell said, and the
state has tentative approval on 3.2
million acres. Once patent is ob
tained by the state from the fed
eral government, that land is then
available for disposal under the
state land laws.
To avoid much unnecessary pa
per work and the consuming of
much additional time, the Division
of Lands and the Bureau of Land
Management in 1962 worked out
a “blanket filing” agreement
whereby the state could file on
larger areas of land—plots en
compassing 5,760 acres or more
are preferred. The state seeks
fop filing on not less than one
quarter of a township instead of
isolated plots.
The state cannot select land on
which a valid homestead entry is
made. Bell explained. If there is
a homestead entry within that
“blanket” selection and all home
stead requirements are met by
the entryman, the homestead pro
cessing- goes as scheduled and the
patent is issued. If. however, the
homesteader abandons the home
stead or fails to prove up for
other causes, the “blanket” or
“top filing” automatically gives
the state priority for selection on
that particular portion of land
without further red tape or de
lay.
Before land is available for dis
posal under the state land laws it
must be classified as to use —
timber, agricultural, commercial,
residential, recreational or such.
It must be sold by competitive
bidding at public outcry auction
after being duly advertised. Un
sold land remaining from such
auction may later be sold “over
the counter” at the appraised and
affixed price set at the sale.
Leases, long or short term, may
also be obtained at these public
auctions, he said.
Land is appraised at full mar
ket value and a 10 per cent down
payment is required with nine
years to pay the balance. A por
tion of the cost of various im
provements placed upon the land
is credited as payments on the
unpaid balance if the land is
homesteaded under state laws.
Bell was questioned from the
floor as to “Why is the state in
competition with private individ
uals or conceims in the real es
tate business?” and “Is the Ke
nai Peninsula being signaled out
for this blanket filing?” To the
latter question, he said top filing
is not confined to the Peninsula
and that the same system is in
effect all over Alaska.
As to the real estate question,
his answer was that Alaskans
have long been vociferous in say
ing “Give us a chance to get
land” and the Division of Lands
is trying to do just that. Some
of these tracts have been subdi
vided and sold, he added, as was
the Slikok Creek Subdivision just
out of Soldotna developed on a
school section, but such tracts
were priced at fair market value.
Anchor River area, in which
large tracts of land are being
sold, is being used as a “guinea
pig,"’ Bell said, and results of
how the system works will not be
known for about five years.
The most spectacular aspect of
the state land business is the oil
and gas leasing, mainly lands off
shore, offered in competitive bid
ding. Lease rentals and oil rent
als and oil royalties to the state
from these lands have contribut
ed more than from any other land
ventures.
A timber sales program is get,- j
ting underway with present value
of timber at $2-$3 per 1,000 board
feet. Active timber sales in 1959
was a big round zero. Current ac
tive timber sales has reached $96,
900, however the state does not
expect much direct revenue from
timber before another 10-15
years, Bell added.
The state land selection is ex
pected to be a foundation for
growth by making land ownership
more accessible to more people,
with more land in private owner
ship, it was pointed out. Annual
income to the state from pay
ments on land in 1959 amounted
to $16,900, Bell said. In 1962 it
had climbed to $250,000.
The most immediate opportun
ity for income to the state from
state selected lands, except for
oil and gas, is the tourist possi
bility, the director pointed out.
He urged the communities to put
out welcome mats for tourists.
1 he BLM had 42 campgrounds
in 1959. The state has increased
the number to 63 with many more
planned. Units, consisting of table
and benches, jumped from 118 to
492 in the same period.
“The one thing the tourist finds
in Alaska that is free, is the
free campground,” Bell remark
ed. Campground users increased
from 270,000 to over one-half
million persons.
There may be free camp- '
grounds for tourists but as for
people in Alaska or coming to
Alaska to get “free land”—“there
just aint no sech animal, as any
homesteader well knows,” Bell re
marked.
At the conclusion of the meet- |
ing, Oberts complimented Bell in
having the courage to come to
the Peninsula to confer with “the
angry mob,” to explain the situa
tion to disgruntled homesteaders
and for not “passing the buck in
answering questions—even when
he knew by coming he was plac
ing himself open to criticism.”
CLa^ber Adopts
‘Figure 87 Road Plan
(Continued from Page 1)
Directors, included the alternate
routes and alternate means of
transportation as well as the ef
fect that implementation of the
proposed program might have on
existing communities.
Tourist travel potential is lim
itless and completing the route
would result in a system of eco
nomic development with capital
“D”, explained the Kenai Cham
ber president.
Maps of the proposed route for
the Peninsula “Figure 8“ highway
are to be forwarded to interest
ed officials and groups, according
to instructions of the Chamber
Board of Directors.
In discussing other recent ac
tion of the Chamber of Com
merce. Fisher said the Board of
Directors reported that a request
had been forwarded to the De
partment of Revenue for estab
lishment of an outlet for selling
commercial fishing licenses. This
is a service expected to be of ui
most convenience to local fish
ermen.
Board member John Hulien, in
behalf of the Chamber, will select
an appropriate gift for the Kenai
Community Clinic to be present
ed upon the opening of the Clinic
on March 24. The Board plans
that the gift will be an article
useful in the equipping of the
facility.
Fisher also reported that
“thank you” letters had been for
warded to Sen. Yule Kilcher,
Rep. Clem Tillion and Sen. Nick
Begioh for efforts they had put
forth in behalf of the establish
ment of a small boat harbor at
Kenai and removal of navigation
al hazards in the Kenai River. It
was the feeling of the entire
Board that these men had been
most cooperative.
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