Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-03
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
Its Operations During the Past Year
Sketched-Recomme

Its Operations During the Past Year
acknowledgements
Secretary Villas commences his report by re-
ferring to the wide jurisdiction of the Interior
department and the varied and disconnected
nature of the affairs in its keeping. In his
opinion considerable changes in the methods
of the department may be usefully made, and
the functions and relations. of the different
Offices and officials carefully defined. so that
not only greater simplicity of procedure will
expedite business, but power to act authorize
lively. with no chance of evading correlative
responsibility, will enable affairs to be finally
and safely disposed of by officers who are now
but agents of circuitous transmission. The
only definite Recommendation which he makes,
| however, il that authority be given the Secre-
| tary to prescribe and define by written regula-
| tions the particular duties of the assistant Sec
| retaries, and to authorize each to do, and VAL
idate by his signature such assistant, such
acts in performance of the duties incumbent
| ON the Secretary as he may so depute them to
! perform.
! PUBLIC LANDS
The aggregate quantity of land for which
title was passed during the year, in part
reckoned and estimated in part, s,605, 1874. 20
acres. The final entries made during the year
number 70.46S. embracing II. $40, 162. SO acres.
The original entries number 72.479, embracing
/ 10. 9S5, 67O.O1 acres Railroad and state selec-
| tions were filed covering 1880. $751; 81. Thus
in addition to the final entries. specific claims
have been newly asserted to Is, 776. 521 so acres
| during the year. The receipts from the dis
pOsal of public lands were S12, 701 .O72; from
sales of Indian lands, 1921 ,1l3.77; total Of
| S13,522, 1857. No other year since 1886 has
furnished so large receipts from the public
lands. The work Of the Office, however. has
increased rather than lessened, the number of
new cases received having been greater than
| the number disposed of. There have been re-
stored to the public domain during Mr.. Cleve-
lands administration SO, l58, $50. 81 acres, and
g., 02O. 1888 acres more are recommended for
| recovery.
| INDIAN AFFAIRS.
The general condition Of our Indian people
and of the affairs of the government directed
TO their care and improvement has during the
past year continued satisfactory No disturb
ances and no serious troubles of any kind have
! anywhere occurred. The conduct Of the In
| dams has been almost universally quiet and
orderly and their disposition perhaps more
than usually peaceable and tractable. The en-
tire extent of territory now in a state of reser-
walton for Indian purposes is 112, 413, 44O acres
i equivalent to an average of 456 acres for each
Indian. Considerable space is devoted to the
subject Of Indian education. A summary of all
of the 233 schools in operation during the year
shows their total capacity to have been l6 464
|
pupils; that the average attendance was II, 400
pupils. and that the total amount expended for
| the education of Indian children was
S1.203.745.30. The increase in the average at
tendance over the previous fiscal year is 800
pupils, while the total expenditure for each
year was about the same.
| PENSIONS
Original pensioners to the number of 60, 252
were added to the pension rolls during the last
1 nd -,
| 45,716 cases. The names of Is. $50 pensioners
| were dropped from the rolls for various causes
| so that at the end Of the year the total num-
Der remaining of all classes was ASP 557 The
amount paid for pensions during the year was
| SIS, us S61.92. an increase over the previous
year of 81, 3Os, $50. 20; the difference between
| the actual payments and the annual value hav-
ing been occasioned by first payments involv-
ing arrears.
THE PATENT OFFICE.
| The insufficiency of space allotted to this i'm
portant bureau is again referred to, and it is
suggested that other quarters be provided for
the general land Office and that the rooms now
occupied by the latter be assigned to the use of
| the patent office. The total number of appli-
cations for patents during the year was 40, liz;
number granted, 22,101; receipts from all
| sources, S1,122, 1874. SO; expenditures $685.
730.l4; surplus, S169 26469, making total in
treasury on account of patent fund 50, 337,-
666.65.
| RAILROADS.
The condition of the various subsidized roads
is treated at some length, as well az their rela-
| lions to the general government, though the
material facts are not greatly changed from
last year. Brief reference is made to the re-
ports OF the interstate commerce commission
the bureau of education, geological survey,
bureau of labor, the Hot Springs reservation,
and the governors of the various territories.
The Capitol and Public Grounds.
The architect reports that in the capitol
building considerable work has been done to
adapt some of the rooms to changes of occu-
pants. Additional shelving for books has been
provided in the library of Congress and in the
law library, and the walls and ceiling Of the
latter have been painted. vault-rooms in the
south terrace have been fitted up for the storage
| of documents. which the architect suggests
| will be liable to mold from dampness if allowed
| to remain any length of time, and he recon-
mends that for their better protection and to
save expense in handling, brick house be
| erected for the storage and folding of books to
be distributed by Congress- The new elevators
| Of the Senate and House wings have been COM
pleted and are working satisfactorily, and the
heating and ventilating apparatus is reported
| to be generally in good condition. An electric
light plant Of ESQ lights. for which appropria-
| ton was made in the act of August f. 1885, has
| been placed in the Senate wing and is now in
/ use.
THE TERRACE AND GRAND sTAIRwAYs
| Fair progress has been made in the work
upon the capitol terrace and grand stairways
| The south terrace has been rooted with grano-
| lithic pavement and the vaults in this section
! have been paved and made available for store
rooms and workshops. The north stairway is
| nearly completed and the materials for the
| south stairway are now being received The
contractors for this work attribute the DELAY
in its completion to the stoppage of work in their
| marble and granite quarries in Vermont and
Maine. and the interference with water trans
| portation occasioned by the severely cold
| weather during the last winter The material
| for the marble balustrade Of the north and
south area wall and returns to the same is now
being delivered. The contract price for this
| work is 1892.
| IN THE CAPITOL GROUNDS
the work done during the year consisted in
grading, dressing and planting the grounds
near the terrace as rapidly as the advance of
the masonry work would allow. 1t is complete
at the north and south ends and on the west
face Of each of the corner pavilions. The tun-
mel heretofore in use for conveying fresh air
from the ventilating tower to the House wing
OF the capitol has been replaced by one adapted
to the changes of grade resulting from the
Introduction OF the terrace. Wrought-ron
lamp frames and ratings have been placed at
the Maryland avenue entrance to the grounds
Attention is directed in the report to the con-