St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-08
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
Commissioners Stockslager Makes
49, His Annual Report.

WASHINGTON, Oct. rs. NJ. Stocks
lager, commissioner of the general land
office, has submitted to the secretary OF
the interior his report for the fiscal year,
ended June 80, 1883. The figures show
ing the amount of land covered by new
entries during the year, and the gross
cash receipts nave already been made
public. The report shows that during
the year S,605, 1914 acres of land has been
conveyed from the government, either
by patent or by certiticatlon under
specific grants. A detailed taDu-
lar statement shows the number
of patents of each class Issued. by states
and territories, from which it appears
that 47,15O patents have been issued
during the year. Dakota received the
largest number, 1864, and Kansas
next, STA. This statement does not
include mineral patents, of which 1,O34
were issued. Lands were patented or
certified to railroad companies to the
amount of S29, 162 acres in the states OF
Arkansas, Iowa, Wisconsin and Mime
sofa. Lands were certified by the
several states, under the swamp grant,
to the amount of 96, 5l5 acres, and under
school selections, 99,205 acres. After
showing in detail the conveyance of
title to the public lands, the commits
sioner calls attention to the accumu-
Iation of work in his Office undiSpoSed
of, July l there were pending and I'M
patented 23S, 15S final entries and $780,
953 original entries awaiting final proof.
The number of original entries made
during the year were 1854, and final
proof was made on 70,46S
RAILROAD SELECTIONS
aggregating %, 429, S66 acres, swamp Sc
lections to the amount OF ISL ,S57 acres
and educational and internal improve
ments selections aggregatlng 1,S5O,00
acres. were also pending. The state
ment of lands restored to the public do
main during this administration is
brought down to the close of the fiscal
wear and shows a total of 81, 158, 800
acres restored and 65,020,53S acres for
restoration. Surveys OF 2,912,3 42 acres
were accepted, after careful eXamina-
ton in the field. by the agents of the
land office. 1t is stated that it is impos-
sible to obtain bids for the surveying of
lands at established rates, and an in
crease of wages Is urged. Urgent
recommendation is also made for an APP
prOpriatiOn of $500, 600, to carry on the
work of surveying the public domain.
The commissioner discusses at some
length the necessity for extending the
public surveys. 1t is stated that ''sur-
yeyor-generars" scrip was issued on
claims in Louisiana to the amount of
81. O3S acres. These are claims for in
demnity by reason of failure in obtain
ing title to the full amount of the Orlgi-
nal grants. An amendment of the act
of 1858, which provides for the Issuing
Of this scrip, is recommended, so as to
provide for the payment OF slips in
money, for each acre of
THE ORIGINAL GRANT
which is lost to the grantee or his heirs
or assigns, instead of issuing certifi-
Gates emitting the claimant to "locate"
an equivalent amount of land else
where. That part of the report de-
voted to railroads is largely taken up
i'm showing the condition of the work of
adjustment under the act of March 3,
1857. The decision of Secretary Villas
in the GuilfOrd Miller case is referred,
and it is stated that there are 1000 SINH
lar cases pending in the land office,
and to the lands in the indemnity limits
of the Northern Pacific, the Atlantic 81
Pacific, the Southern Pacific, the Cali
fornia & Oregon, and the Oregon &
California roads to the extent of $780,
600 acres are affected by said decision.
The report says that of the %, 429, S66
acres of land covered by selections
pending at the close of the fiscal year,
21,660. S46 acres were selected by rail-
road companies whose roads were not
completed in the time required by their
respective grants. The forfeiture of all
lands coterminous with those parts Of
the respective roads which were I'M
completed a the expiration of the
time limited for their construction,
is recommended. The time of
the agents employed to investi-
gate fraudulent entries has been prin-
cipally occupied in the investigation af
groups or clusters of entries illegally
made in the interest of single individu-
ais or of
sYNDIcATEs AND CORPORATIONS
who desire to obtain title to large bodies
of land. Illustrations of this class of
work, in various states and territories,
are set out at length. These entries
are said to be most of them of several
years standing, and it is asserted that
this class of frauds has been largely
checked. The timber agents have in
vestigated depredations On the public
timber in all the states and territories,
which timber is growing on the public
lands. That part of the report which
refers to the work of the special agents
is followed and supplemented by re-
norris from fifty-Seyeu of the local Offices