Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-10-01
Money Illegally Advanced For
Surveys on Lands of the
United States.
Claims From Western Banks
For Money Advanced
to Government Sur
VeyOrS.
ALLEGED ILLEGAL CONTRACTS.

DIT lHG IdUO OlllCe GndL al dCtlOu WAS
taken some time ago by Commissioner
Sparks revoking certain alleged lille
gal contracts for surveys of public
lands under what is known as the de-
post system, and IN suspending &C
counts under similar contracts, be-
cause of various irregularities, and
for the purpose of ascertaining by
fixed examinations whether the sur
veys have been properly or actually
executed. were brought to the Front
bank OF Nevada and other banks in
San Francisco, as parties claiming an
interest In the accounts by virtue of
loans to the surveying contractors,
and representatives of the banks are
now here urging the payment of such
accounts to protect them against loss.
The commissioner does not recog<
nize banks as having legal or equita~
BILE claims against the government, OF
the right to intervene between &C
counting officers of the land depart
ment AID their official duties. If the
banks, he says, loaned money to sur
veying contractors, this was purely
matter of private business, and the
bank must lock to their borrower for
payment. No loans have been made
to the United States nor has the gov
eminent incurred any obligations to
these financial ms titutions.
The annual appropriation by con-
gress for surveying the public lands
has been $500, 600 to $500, 600; in addi~
ton to this the law allows individuals
to make deposits which are credited
to the surveying fund and constitute
the additional appropriations. The
land office reports showed some
$4,000, 900 have been so deposited since
1879. The law only authorizes
DEPOSITS MADE BY SETTLERS.
The fact appears, says the commits
sioner, that they are made only by
capitalists. It has been alleged that a
"'bUreau" has been maintained in San
Francisco which acted as an inter-
mediary between the deputies and the
surveyor general, and the business of
which was to supply Deficiencies In
field notes and assist in the prepara
ton and adjustment of accounts with
the general land Office
One of the contracts revoked by the
commissioner was of an original es-
timated liability Of $4,000. TAe land
office accounts show that about $3.50, :
900 have already been paid out under
this contract and the bank claims that
nearly 500, coo more is still due. The
commissioner refused to accept the
returns, amounting to $4,000, for
work alleged to have been performed
under this contract, on the ground
that the essential prerequisites to leg
atty have not been complied with,
the bond of the deputy not having
been filed and no deposits made to
pay for the surveys; and further, that
the amount charged is IN excess of
legal rates.
IT IS THE OPINION OF THE COMNIIs-
SIONER
that the practice of the San Francisco
banks of advancing money on sur
veying contracts. which is said to have
grown up within the past ten years,
and extended SO as to include con-
tracts in various states and territories,
and which is now urged as an equita~
bic consideration, cannot be regarded
as an interest IN the public service.
1T will lead thei surveyor to return
the surveys of uninhabitsble noun
rates and extrayagantgeXp6nd to
loose and irregular methods of con
tracing and surveying; to the prodi
gal issue of deposit certificates; to the
survey Of valuable timber ard agri-
cultural lands, followed by their APP
preparation through fraudulent entries
by rich syndicates and large corpora
tons and to the exclusion of actual
settlers from the lands ostensibly sur
veyed for their benefit, but immedi-
ately taken up by speculative comb
nations connected with or closely
allied to surveying operations
1t tended also to do away with the
wholesome supervision and restraint
which the law requires tie land de-
partn3ent to exercises over the deputy
surveyors. With a shield of power
full syndicates and moneyed corpora
tons interposed between them and
the government they felt independent
of the land office, and became accus-
toned to look upon it as if it were a
machine to certify accounts without
regad to
THEIR ACCURACY OR JUSTICE.
Many of the accounts now present
extra compensation for re-SUrveys,
which cannot be allowed because they
are in violation of the instructions,
which prescribed the minimum rates
and which instructions are part of
the contracts.
The reports reached the land office
of the extensive frauds in the surveys
In the regions covered by these con-
tracts, which the commissioner states
he had not had time with the agencies
at his command to Thoroughly inves>
tigate them and that the delay is una
voidable until the examinations can be
made which will enable him to decide
which claims should be paid and what
rejected The amount of alleged
dues on surveying contracts claimed
by Cook Of Nevada is about $3.50, 900.
What further unliquidated claims OF
a similar character are yet to be pre-