Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-11-21
Report Of the Acting Commissioner of the
General Land Office.

WASHINGTON, Nov. II.
The annual report of the General Land Office
has been handed I'm to the Secretary Of the In
terror. 1t shows that during the fiscal wear
ending June Both last 1888, 1853 acres of pub
lie lands we're disposed of, and 9, ,4S4, 996 acres
were surveyed, in addition to 704, SOL ,236 acres
previously surveyed. The total number Of
acres Of public domain still unsurveyed is
about l,OSl, ,00O,O0 acres. The disDosals were
manly as follows: Homestead entries, $780,
Ill acres: timber culture entries, 2,766,-
574 acres; cash entries, 622, 574 acres lin
cludiug l65,996 acres entered under the desert
land law grants to railroads, 21S, ,334 acres !:
swamp lands patented to States, 75,3SS acres !;
other grants to States, 1882 acres. The
amount of land surveyed the last fiscal year
exceeds by Ala, ,769 acres the total area sur
Veyed in the preceding twelve months, and
while the report shows falling off of 773, 900
acres in cost sales State selections, scrip To-
cations, and lands patented for railroad
grants, the increase in acres taken up by
settlers under the homestead and timber
culture laws has been sufficient not only to
counterbalauce this falling off, but to make
the aggregate disposals for the year greater
by 641, ,204 acres than the total for the previous
year. The increase in homestead entries was
Sl, ,766 acres, and in timber culture en-.
tries S95, l39 acres. Owing to the existing
laws for the disposal of public lands
for homesteads and timber culture, it ls shown
that during the last fiscal year, with greater
disposal Of land, there were received from all
sources 81, ,SS3, 1l3, less by Sl39,4lS than the
amount received during the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1873.
Referring to the absentee Shawnee lands and
the Miami lands In Kansas, legislation is rec
commended to provide for the disposng of such
portions thereof as remain vacant for the rea-
son that frequent application is made for per-
mission to enter these tracts by parties occu-
pying them, which in the absence of proper
legislation cannot be given. The acting Com
cgt hat rnHa nj ok- -
the Forty-ifth Congress, and with the aid of
an appropriation of $40, 600 granted last March
for the protection of timber on public lands,
efforts have been continued to suppress dep.
relations, but they are yet extensive, and the
interests of the Government and those of the
people nov residing on or who may desire to
settle in the region of the public timbered
lands require that they should be still pur-
sued with uDremitting earnestness and vigor.
In Arkansas alone the annual loss to the Gov
ernment by the destruction of valuable tim
Der is estimated at not less than $780, 900. A
large amount of timber has been recovered
and considerable sums of money received as
ernment against the Iimter uepteuatdrs, ana
many other suits are still pending. In Michi-
gan and elsewhere along the Northern Ma
tional boundary line extensive depredations
are reported to have been committed upon
our public timber lands by Canadians. These
cases are now under investigation. The pow
eTs of the department are so enfeebled by
limited appropriations Tor detecting ana pun
ishing timber trespassers that but tithe of
the plunder and destruction of timber on the
public domain can now be prevented, and
there is great necessity for more prompt and
vigorous action than the Government has
heretofore taken for the protection of its in
terests.
In conclusion the acting Commissioner ad-
verts to the necessity of employing a large
number of clerks and embrace among them
men of experience and ability, and in this
connection he calls attention to the insuffl-
cheney of existing provisions to meet the re-
quirements of this branch of the public
service. He says: Z" 1t is certainly time that
adequate measures were adopted to bring this
office into proper condition for discharging
promptly and efficiently the difficult and i'm
portant duties devolying upon it under the
taxp Nff -