Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-12
Public Lands.
BUSINESS FOR THE YEAR

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11.--The annual report Of
the general land office has been handed in to
the secretary of the interior. 1t shows that
during the fiscal year ended June 30th. last,
$685. 1853 acres of public lands were disposed
Of, and that 9,4S0,99 acres were surveyed in
addition to the 734, 59l, 1886 acres previously
surveyed. The total number of acres of the
public domain still unsurveyed is about 1,081,-
1000 acres. The disposals were mainly as
follows:
Acres.
Homestead entries... ..............5,2 900, Ill
Timber culture entries. ..............2,7b Zoe, 574
Cash entries (including 1896 acres
entered under the desert land law. 622,574
Grants to railroads. ................ 1884
Swamp lands patented to States. 1888
Other grants to States. ............... 1876, 1872
The amount of land surveyed the last fiscal
year exceeds by 41476o acres the total area sur
veyed in the preceding twelve months, and
while the report shows q falling off of some
5000 acres In cash sales, State selections,
scrip locations and lands patented for railroad
grants, the increase in area taken up by set
tiers under the homestead and timber culture
laws has been sufficient, not only to counter"
balance this falling off, but to make the aggre-
gate disposals for the year greater by 647, 204
acres than the total for the previous year. The
increase in homestead entries were 84l, 766
acres and in timber culture entries 1896, 1913
acres.
HOMESTEAD AND TIMBER CULTURE.
Owing to existing laws for the disposal of
public lands for homestead and timber cul-
ture, it is shown that during the last fiscal
year. with larger disposal Of land, there were
received from all sources 1888, 49, less by
$139,4l8 than the amount received during tho
fiscal year ending June 80, 1878.
DETROIT ARSENAL GROUNDS.
Owing to the general opinion that the present
appraisement of the Detroit arsenal grounds,
with the Improvements made under the act of
Congress of March Sd, 1875, is too high, re-
sulting in few sales being made, the report rec
ommends that new appraisement be made,
and after lots offered at public sale that any
remaining unsold be disposed of at private sale
at not less than the appraised value.
TIMBER THIEVES.
The acting commissioner reports that under
various acts of the Forty fifth Congress, and
with the aid of an appropriation of $4,000
granted last March for the protection of tim.
Der on public lands, efforts have been continued
to suppress depredations, but they are yet ex-
tensive, and the interests of the government,
and those of the people now residing or who
may desire to settle in the region of public
timbered land, requires that they should be
still pursued with unremitting earnestness and
the government by the destruction of valuable
timber is estimated aJ not less than $500, 900.
A largo amount of timber has been recovered
and considerable sums of money received as
compromises on suits brought by the Govern
ment against timber depredators, and many
other suits are still pending in Michigan and
elsewhere along the northern national boundary
line. Extensive depredations are reported to
have been committed upon our public timber
lands by Canadians. These cases are now under
investigation. The powers of the department
are enfeebled by limited appropriations
for detecting and Furnishing timber trespassers,
but 1.-THE of the plumber and destruction of
timber on the public domain can now be pre-
vented, and there is great necessity for more
prompt and vigorous action than the govern
ment has heretofore taken for the protection
of its interest.
In conclusion the acting commissioner ad-
verts to the necessity of employing large
number of clerks, and embraced among
them men of experience and
ability, and in this connection
he calls attention to the inefficiency of exist
ing provisions to meet the requirements of
this branch of the public service. He says it
is certainly time that adequate measures were
adopted to bring this Office into proper con-
dition for discharging promptly and efficiently
the difficult and important duties devolving
upon it under the laws of Congress.