The Shadowy Market for State School Lands
Amid allegations of bidding rings and collusive sales, Washington's land commission defends its auctions while acknowledging at least one case of corruption in Tacoma.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In regard to the reported concerted action of the county school superintendents in the state of Washington to obtain certain changes in the school laws and in the meantime secure the withdrawal of all school lands from lease and sale, John L. Murray, assistant state land commissioner, has this to say: 'The state land department is not encouraging the sale of school lands at this time, though a number of applications are being received and allowed, but there is no intention of withdrawing the lands from lease at present. The statement that there is a monster unorganized steal going on among purchasers and lessees is wholly imaginary.' Murray admitted, however, that the office investigates reported collusion. A recent Tacoma case involving Block 94 in school section 16 resulted in a court finding where a bidder admitted to inducing a competitor to stay out of the bidding. Judge Huston refused to enforce the resulting contract and censured both parties for attempting to defraud the state.
“The statement that there is a monster unorganized steal going on among purchasers and lessees of school lands is wholly imaginary.”
Public school lands were originally intended to fund education through sale or lease, but these auctions frequently invited predatory behavior from private speculators. This struggle between state oversight and the privatization of public assets remains a central tension in Washington's land-use policy.
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