Payments in amounts according to law, he will be entitled to a deed of said land. SEC. 14. Whenever payments of interest are made dorsed on ccr- to the county treasurer as herein provided, he shall endorse the amount paid upon such certificate of pur tificates. Deed, record. Payments of principal. Receipts. chase. SEC. 15. When the board becomes satisfied that full payment has been made upon any tract of land heretofore or hereafter sold, the governor shall, under the great seal of the state, issue a deed therefor to the purchaser or his assignee, and all deeds so issued shall be attested by the commissioner of public lands and buildings, and a record thereof kept in his office. SEC. 16. Any person purchasing land under the provisions of this act may at any time pay any portion of the principal due thereon to the county treasurer of the county in which the land is situated, who shall give the same receipts as he is required to give when payment of interest is made, and the county clerk shall transmit one of said receipts to the commissioner of public lands and buildings, and the said commissioner shall endorse the amount of principal so paid upon the note in his possession, and file said receipt with the auditor of public accounts as in other cases. SEC. 17. When any of the lands herein provided Leasing of eJucational lands. for have been offered for sale and not sold for want of bidders, the said board may lease the same on the following conditions: All persons desiring to lease such lands shall file their sealed proposal for the leas ing of the same, under the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, in the office of the commissioner of public lands and buildings. The proposal shall describe the land desired to be leased by section, township, and range, and set forth the highest rate per cent on the appraised value of the land which the bidder will pay. Provided, That no bid or proposed offering less than six per cent per annum on the appraised value of such lands shall be entertained, and such proposal shall be examined by the board of educational lands and funds, at the next regular meeting, who shall reject or approve the same. If approved, the commissioner of public lands and buildings shall execute a lease for the same to such bidder at the price named in such proposal. Provided, If any other bid for the same land shall be presented to said board they shall order the lease executed to the highest bidder. Provided, That no land shall hereafter be leased at a less rate than six per cent per annum on the appraised value thereof, and that the said rate of six per cent be and hereby is declared to be the minimum rate at which such lands shall be leased. SEC. 18. When the award of a lease has been given Lease, award, as aforesaid, the said commissioner shall sign a lease and execution. in duplicate and transmit the same to the county treasurer, which shall be signed by the lessee; one copy of which shall be retained by him and the other returned by the county treasurer to the said commissioner. The county treasurer shall deliver said lease to the lessee upon receipt of the amount of money due on such lease as the first payment. A duplicate of such receipt shall be transmitted to the commissioner of public lands and buildings as in other cases. If the applicant for a lease fails to sign the same, and make the first payment within thirty days after the receipt thereof by the county treasurer, the leases shall be returned to the commissioner and be by him canceled. Payments of SEC. 19. The first payment shall be computed to the first day of January or July, as the case may be, rents. next ensuing the date of executing the lease, and such lease shall contain a covenant or contract of the lessee, Covenants. that he or she will promptly pay the rental or interest semi-annually in advance; that no waste shall be committed upon the land, and that the premises shall be surrendered at the expiration of twenty-five years from the first day of January next ensuing after the date of the lease, or sooner with the consent of the board referred to; that the lessee will pay for the use of said lands the annual rate of not less than six per cent per annum upon the appraised value thereof. During the year 1883, and every five years thereafter, the board of Re-appraisal. educational lands and funds shall cause all educational lands under lease which in their judgment are appraised too low to be reappraised, and such reappraisement, provided it shall not be less than the former appraisement, shall be the basis for the rental for the next five years succeeding the first day of January following. Provided, That the first or any succeeding appraisement shall not include improvements made by the lessee. Every lessee of educational lands may at any time apply in writing to the county treasurer of the county in which the land is situated to have such land appraised for purpose of sale. of sale. On the receipt of such application, and the payment of six dollars by the lessee, the county treasurer, together with the county clerk and county judge, shall appoint three disinterested freeholders of such county, whose duty it shall be to appraise the lands designated at their just and full value, exclusive of improvements, and to make return of such appraisement within twenty days after their appointment, such appraisement to be under oath. Each appraiser shall receive the sum of two dollars for his services, to be paid by the county treasurer out of the money paid by the applicant as aforesaid. Upon the return of the appraisement aforesaid it shall be the duty of such county treasurer to forward the same, together Purchase by lessee. with the application, contract of lease, abstract of sale, note for unpaid principal, and evidence of payment of all money due, as in case of public sale, and all papers in connection with the transaction, to the commissioner of public lands and buildings, who shall examine the proceedings had under the application to purchase, and if they are found to be regular and the land has been appraised at its full value, exclusive of improvements, he shall execute a contract to the purchaser; but if in his opinion said land has not been appraised at its full value, exclusive of improvements, he shall report the same to the board of educational lands and funds, who at their next regular meeting shall examine into the matter, and may order the sale approved, rejected, or returned for reappraisement. If the application to purchase shall be rejected by said board, the commissioner of public lands and buildings shall return to the county treasurer all papers sent him in connection. therewith. And the said treasurer shall immediately refund to said applicant all moneys received on account of such application to purchase. Provided, That no land shall be sold for less than seven dollars per acre, or less than the appraised value. SEC. 20. If any lessee of educational lands shall be in default of the semi-annual rental due the state for the period of six months, or any purchaser of educational lands be in default of the annual interest due the state for one year, the commissioner of public lands and buildings may cause notice to be given to such delinquent lessee or purchaser that, if such delinquency is not paid within six months from the date of the service of such notice, his lease or sale will be declared forfeited by the board of educational lands and funds. If after such notice the amounts due are not paid within six months from the date of the service of such notice Violations of 530. Waste, trespass, penalty. thereof, the said contract of lease or sale may be declared forfeited. Provided, The provisions of this section shall not apply to subdivisions of land laid out and platted to town sites, or additions thereto, but forfeitures of contracts for such "sub-divided lands" shall be made as nearly as practicable in the manner now provided by law for the foreclosure of mortgages on real estate; and it shall be lawful to include as many defendants in one action as may be deemed necessary. Provided, further, That nothing herein contained shall debar any of said defendants from maintaining a.separate defence in his or her behalf, and the lands therein described shall revert to the state the same as though such lease or sale had never been made; and the order making such forfeiture shall be spread upon the records of the board of educational lands and funds. In case the owner of such contract of sale or lease be a non-resident of this state, or his address be unknown, the notice herein contemplated shall be published three weeks in some newspaper published or of general circulation in the county where the land is situated. The forfeiture may be entered by said board after ninety days from the date of such published notice. The provisions of this section shall apply alike to all the lands heretofore sold or leased, and to all lands hereafter sold or leased as educational lands of this state. Provided, The owner of any contract of sale or lease so forfeited may redeem the same by paying all delinquencies and costs at any time before such land is again sold or leased. SEC. 21. If any person shall commit waste or trespass, or other injury, upon any of the lands herein referred to, the person so offending shall, on conviction thereof, be fined in a sum not less than twenty-five dollars nor exceeding one thousand dollars. |