The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-09-01


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,<7areys, Land Office. Austin March !, 1SS3.--To
His Exseiiency 3. N. Roberts, GoIernor OF
the State OF fsxas
SIR-In com piiance with your request, 1
have the honor to submit herewith q sTn1-
mary Of the business of this department
from August 81, 1880, the date OF my last
regular report to the present date. In
that time surveys have been fled covering
11,054.sU acres; $3.50 patents have Is
sued, covering 4,744,7 79 acres; 1872 certif-
Gates have issued, covering 90 400, 4so acres.
aoyernnent dues received. ........... LIN s.
Pre-enp sisa dues received ......." "a ~, ~ ~
Once fees received ............"...... bfis o.
For htheSraPhfS maps. NiNS
7o..y ..s1a3, ss5 %
PUprIs ppST AND SCHOOL REsERvh
The act Of July IA, 1879, and amendaoory
nct OF March IL, 1881, reserving certain
lands FROM location by certificates, and
authorizing their sale for payment OF the
public debt, and for the benefit Of public
schools, ehsuld, think, if not repealed, be
amended by placing the price at not less
than 81 per acre. Sales under these acts
Tor the past eighteen months amount to
27S333 acres, nearly the whole OF which
IL situated in organized counties, or in the
Pan Handle, and all of which would proba
bly, have brought 81 per acre as readily as
S,ty cents The fact that lands can be &C
cuired under this act in large, solid bodies,
. ut a nominal expense for surveying, IN adj
dition to the purchase money, operates 10
the prejudice of the alternate sections OF
school land, and retards their utilization
From the most careful estimates possible,
with the returns to this office, the vacant
land in these reservations, beyond what
may be embraced in fragments OF less than
$40 acres, in organized counties, sums up as
follows: 49,
In the Texas Pacific eighty mile reserve -.
west Of Ice mefidisn. oVo0v,
In Pan HaRals counties. MINIMUM. soo'oc'
ro,o, s, sOeO COO
1--WE items have contributed largely, since
my last report to reduce the vacancy IN
the reserves to the above figures. one, the
setting apart of go leagues, u 32S 400 acres)
for the unerganized counties, and the
other. the return of 500 certificates issued
by Commissioner Groos to John IL. Slo-
son, and which Governor K. b: Hubbard
proclaimed illegal, covering, with their al
ternatss, GAO 600 acres. These certificates
were filed on land within the reserve, be,
fore the act Of July IA, 1879, took effect and
wete subsequently surveyed ard returned
70 this Office Patents having ben de-
mandsd and refused q suit for manGamus
against the ommissioner was instii led IN
the Travis county district court, but has
not vet been determined. Should the GER
tificates be declared void by the courts, the
vacant land In the reserves wonld be o,9iO,'
600 acres.
VACANT PUBLIC DOMAIN.
On the 3Ist Of August, 1880, there ap
peared balance, exclusive OF Greer county
of IL, 39i, $40 acres OF vacant land, outside
the reservations, and subject to location by
certificates. From this apparent balance
two items should be deducted, OF which nc
notice has heretofore been taken, and the
amount Of which cannot be definitely es
timated. First, Is the amount covered by
uayigable streams, as defined by statute
and which has always been embraced in thu
estimated area of the state as land. From
estimates made from the maps OF seyera
counties, the amount so to be deducted cas-
not fall far short Of 10000 acres. second
II possible, more indefinite amount is TIT
ouantity embraced in surveys in excess o
the acreage called Tor by the neid notes, q
returned TO this Office. This excess wa
much greater in the surveys made undo
authority of Coahuila and Texas, and thu
republic OF Texas, than under the state
but tho custom has prevailed, more or less
under all governments, until the past lev
wears. The amount Of this surplusage car
only be absolutely determined by actua
survey, but from such data as / have beef
able 10 secure, think 1t safe to place II q
one million acres. II these estimate ar,
approximately correct, our account will
the vacant and unappropriated domain
would stand ~ follows:
$500, .,.,,.i h.,,,oo A'''''
rsn.' v isso - -, l5.ovi. 81
IN ne y.t.ysn ser,incntes,
ca scrss each .....,....... 1890
TO k57 veteran certificates
i.7so aerss zach .......,.;. 'VotO
10 LIS Sshlcoerste ceftih- ,oo ,,a
c.ees, - , 49, -. n,,ttii..
scsool. A' -',--... ~ '.. 80. 2isosD
go seres esch. ............. 7,5gl,oso
TO equal amount for public
schools $50; :. ......,s,,,s f'''looo
10 "a ditch cerunceea Oi' ,r,o
~.a.. -. ..., ,-,, a., ,uiiic
.,bosi. 49,. ..S..-. $50
--
Teal .......................2o,f oo,sso
This would leave surpia e,. oi ~, nnsatlsne
certificates amounting 20 5.Vy3 90 acres. ]
70 this be sdded the probable amount :
certihcates 70 - issuea - 1870
I've sieps CAT -. 81 - -. - ~ Lsvs ~,
r,ys al certifcstss over and above the va
eznt dounain subject 10 location Of rs 81
scres. From this surplus, however, y !
b. deducted the Approximate acreage {
esrti6cates issued and heretofore charge
se.inst The public domain, gut Nhlcn DAY
ben barred for not having pen Iet .l .s
within I've year rom ne aoop.l ,,,, y 81 I'd