, 1889-11-28
John l.. Wilson.

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John l.. Wilson.
MIR. Wilson of Washington Is among
those interested in the land district mat.
ters, and although Washington has five
and Montana but three, Mr.. Wilson will
look out that his state gets another IL
possible.
: WASHINGTON, ID. G. Nov. 26.-Con-
gresham John l.. Wilson of Washington
is preparing BILL which he will intro.
duce into the house at his earliest OPP.
portunity, designed to modify the fees in
land offices in some Of the Northwestern
states in the interest of settlers. He was
for several years receiver In the Colfax
land office aud is familiar with the sub.
ject so that he says If the change can be
brought about II will result in a saving
of many thousands OF dollars to those
who tnke up lands. His bill will modify
the revised statutes SC as to make uni
form system of fees all over the United
States. At present the fees are higher
in Oregon, Washington, California, Ne
vada, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Mon
tana, Arizona and Wyoming than in the
Dakotas, Minnesota and the Eastern
states. In the far West the commissions
in tho land offices are 80 for a
homestead entry OF l60 acres of
land worth 81 25 per acre. In Dakota,
Minnesota and Wisconsin the COM
mission is "a for the same entry. For
100 acre tracts worth 81 30 an acre, the
commission is $12, against So in the
Eastern states. The same fees arc
charged for entering the final proof.
Mr.. Wilson proposes to cut down the
fees in the West to meet those in the
Dakotas and Minnesota, which means
dollars to every settler.
He also will include IN his horizontal
reduction that part Of the fee bill which
allows a charge of 221l cents per hundred
words for reducing testimony to writing
in contested cases in Washington, Mon
tana and the territories, while the same
work in the Dakotas and Minnesota Is
done for 10 cents.
He will also try to cut out of the act
OF March, 1877, that clause which al
lows the register to collect the same fees
for examining and approving final testi-
mony as he is allowed for taking.
These changes will not interfere with
the compensation of the land office Off
oials, as the maximum allowed them is
$4,000 year and the Offices return big
balances to the treasury after deducting
that amount.
THE RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE.
Congressman Carter of Montana and
Delegate Dubois of idaho called on Civil
Service Commissioners Roosevelt to-day
to get some information about the ap-
pointments TO the railway service. IL
has not been an easy matter to get post
al clerks to remain in the Northern coun.
try, as they claim the pay is not enough
Ii is often the case that there are not
enough eli gibles to certify mail clerks
when they are called for. When the
railway mail service was ordered under
the civil service rules, and pending the
time when the order was to go into eff
fcct, Delegate Dubois had all the demo.
Gratis in the service bounced and republi.
cans put in their places. Two of the re-.
publicans declined and the other has re-
signed and at present there Is only one
eligible from Idsho. More applicants
are wanted.
In Montana there are eight, but they
don't happen to be from the counties
where vacancies have occurred. Mr..
Carter will have this remedied.
Mr.. Roosevelt showed the Western
representatives the method of examin.
ing mail clerk and explained other civil
service matters to them.
Mr.. Dubois asked Mr.. Roosevelt II
he had any objection to notifying the
congressman when certificates were
made, and to which department. The
com mmissioner said that was one OF
the things the law aimed TO prevent.
MONTANA NOTES.
Representative Carter expects to get
through bill moving the Cheyennes,
now on the Rosebud and Tongue rivers,
to tho northeast corner of the Crow res.
ervation, what is known on the west
of Clark's fork. There Is on this part OF
the reservation 100000 invested In
smelling machinery and the country
is rich in mineral wealth, but can not be
worked because it has not been coded.
r. y. Miller was appointed postmaster
at Park City, Yellowstone county,
Mont, today.
A new postofiice was created at Darby,
Missoula county Mont, with j. W.
Darby as postmaster
IDAHO AND ADMISSION.
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