Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-20
WASHINGTON CULLINGS.
Statement Regarding the United States
Land Office.
SPARKS ROUGHLY HANDLED.
The Mysterious Mission of an Amer
ican Schooner in North
ern Waters.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE REooRD-UNIoN.l
LAND OFFICE.
lsPEaAI DISPATCHES TO THE EEOoRD-ux1oS.l

LAND OFFICE.
Commissioners Stone Critieises the Methods
of His Predecessor.
WASHINGTON, September 19th.-Acting
Commissioner Stone, in forwarding to the
Secretary of the Interior his annual report.
states that it covers the doings of the Cen
eral Land Office for eleven months under
the administration of his predecessor and
only one month under his own manage
ment. This gives the present Administra-
ton practically but one month in consider
alton of land matters in the last fiscal year.
Commissioner Stone asserts that the re-
turns from 107 local Land Offices in several
Public Land Offices in the States and Ter
ritories have been met with no correspond
ing increase of clerical force by Congress.
and that the prevalence in the office of
mistaken practices have had the effect of
obstructing rather than facilitating the
proper transacting of business.
Investigating the conditions of the office
the Acting Commissioner found upon assum-
ing the duties of his office that the
methods of the last administration has
not in any way expedited business, and
that there has been an accumulation and
increase over the former transactions.
which was due to Sparks order of April
Sd, 1885, suspending action in all timber,
desert lands and pre- e-emption entries up to
that date
This action of Mr.. Sparks the Acting
Commissioner claims to have been with
out authority of law or departmental ap-
proval, and that it was received with
indignation and universal complaint from
all portions of the country.
1t led to the accumulation of unadiusted
claims to burdensome extent and greatly
discouraged settlement upon the public do
main.
Rehearsal is further given to consider
able extent of Sparks orders, which are
commented upon by the Acting Commits
sioner with a sharpness of criticism which
has not been paralleled.
Mr.. Stone states that, entering on his
duties the first of June, and regarding the
Board of Review as unnecessary and an
obstruction, he determined to dispense
with it. He found that there was an ac-
emulation of nearly $4,000 cases, and he
succeeded in so reorg anizing the methods
of doing business in that division that bv
the 1st of July following the entire mass OF
pending cases was fully disposed of, and an
order was issued disseminating the Board
of Review.
In order to justify the abolition of this
Board, the Acting Commissioner submits a
statement showing that the number of
patents issued for the year ending 1856
were 1855 for the year ending 1887,
"a $50; for the year 1888, 47,1S0, and for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1889, 7O141.
During the first eleven months of last
year under the former methods of work
there were issued 81, ,6lS patents; a monthly
average of 4,S74, while during the month
of June of said year there were issued
16,523 patents, a gratifying increase over
the former management during the fiscal
year ending the 30th of June last.
The 20, l4l patents issued were divided as
follows: Final homesteads, 81, ,S57; Com
muted homesteads, 1852; pre-emption,
cash, 14,347; timber culture, AZ desert,
790; script location 821; private, cash, Z. .5O4;
graduation, cash, 10; Act of June 15, 1880,
cash, 507; cash, 4 324, miscellaneous, cash,
4 233, townsites, IA.
These patents were distributed as follows:
Arizona, AZ. California, 4,314 distributed
as follows: Final homesteads, !, ,414 COM
muted homesteads, 271; pre-emption cash
entries, 9S1; timber culture, 2; desert land
Al; scrip locations, y; private cash, Ill
Act of June 10, 1880, cash locations 49,
cash, Isl; miscellaneous cash, ,2S3; town
sites, 20. Nevada, II entries, of which
were final homesteads and desert lands.
New Mexico, 2S4 entries, of which 119
were homesteads, los pre- emption, and the
remainder town site and cash entries.
Oregon shows ,742 patents issued during
the year, of which 1000 were homestead
patents. AIS pre-emption entries, % desert
lands, and tbs remainder cash.
To Washington Territory there were is
sued 2,735 patents, of which 1882 were
homestead entries, 657 pre-emption entries,
and the remainder cash entries.
These figures will show that title has
been passed from the United States to H.
99l, ,120 acres of land as compared with
S,605, 1913 acres for the preceding year. A
net increase in 1889 of 3,1S5, ,924 acres over
1883.
During the year 913 patents for mineral
lands and 155 patents for coal lands were
issued as follows: New Mexico, 737 acres;
Washington Territory, l, AIS acres.
There were patented to railroads lands as
follows: California. 2,646 acres out of total
to other States of 425 ,046 acres.
Swamp lands were patented TO States to
the extent of 259, 722 acres, of which Oregon
secured y 272 acres.
During the year there were 132, ,351 acres
of lands patented to the various States, of
which California received p 053 acres of
school indemnity lands, and Oregon Is, 1873
acres of the same class of lands, and 400 |
acres of University lands.
During theyear railroad sections am cunt
ing to 29.444, ,254 acres were pending in the |
Department. There were also the Oregon |
wagon-road sections, which. amounted to |
over 2,000, 900 acres.
There were pending at the beginning of |
the year II, 400 lists of selections, embrac- |
ing a total of l, 1855 acres for educa-
tional and internal Improvements.
During the year there were 1856 per-
emption entries, involving 2,902,02S acres
of land. Also of %, $40 homestead entries,
involving 1861, ,70S acres of land, and 516 |
timber culture entries, involving 334 $50 |
acres of land, and 644 entries of desert
land, involving 100000 acres of land.
This does not include 10000 commuted |
homestead entries, involving ,521, ,527 acres.
There are now pending in the Land |
Office the following final entries undis-
posed Of Arizona, 673 California, 1872;
Nevada, 323; New Mexico, 3,162; Oregon,
4 696; Washington, 5,692
The cash reports of the Land Office for
the year were So, ,6S5,902. There was de-
crease, as compared with the preceding
year, of S., SCI ,236. This decrease is due |
largely to the decrease of cash entries The
surveys of the public lands were accepted |
to the following extent: California, 1856;
New Mexico, 1,540,176; Oregon, 1889;
1857 acres.
appointments for the survey of lands
were made as follows during the past year
California, $500; Arizona, 81 900: New Mex
leo, $4,000; Oregon, $1,000; Washington,
$4,000.
Three contracts were awarded in Ari-
zona, eight contracts in California, nine
contracts in Oregon and seven contracts in
Washington Territory.
In regard to the surveys in California,
the Suryeyor-General of that State SAYS:
Unfortunately the early surveys appar-
emily covered the best of the cultivated |
lands, following the water courses springs
and glades, and emitting the lands which |
presented any difficulty of the traveller to
survey. No matter how small, this process
left the unsurveyed portion of unfinished
townships in patches and shapes as irregu-
lar as the natural topography of the coun-
try not wholly level would leave it." l
would suggest that these fragmentary sur
veys be consolidated, and the completion
Of the several townships be placed in one
contract.