Twelve Thousand Lots and a Deadline to Prove You Live There

PORT ANGELES, Feb. 2.—The appraisers here for the purpose of placing a value upon the lots and improvements of the government townsite reservation begin to appreciate that they have no small task before them. There are about 12,000 lots in the reservation, and the instructions require that each lot and its improvements shall be separately appraised. Granting that they will be able to appraise 100 lots a day, which would be fast work, it would require 120 work days to make the entire appraisement. After the lots upon which improvements and settlement have been made are appraised, the price will naturally be uniform and the work so similar that the commission can doubtless proceed more rapidly. While each member is anxious to proceed with as much haste as possible, it can safely be predicted that the work will not be completed before ninety days from now. Under the law, to obtain a lot actual residence must be established upon the lot and actual improvements made before the day of the approval of the appraiser. Under this law new lots are being taken every day, and probably will continue to be until after the completion of the appraisement.