The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-25
SURVEYING OF LANDS.
State of Washington Assured
of Prompt Action.
MAY SELECT TIMBER AREAS
There Has Been a Misunderstanding
Application for Authority to Survey
VIII Be Promptly Allowed.

WASHINGTON CRY, Dec. 24-TSpecial r.
Representative Wilson of Washington
went this morning TO the general land
Office and had an extended discussion of
the question of surveys of the public land
in his state. He took with him several
editorial statements from the Posr-ISTEL-
LIGENcER, quantity of communications
from citizens of Washington, copy of the
act making the grants of public lands to
the state and a copy of the instructions is
sued by the land office to the surveyor
general. The entire situation was over
hauled, and with very satisfactory results
The questions involved have been fox some
time under consideration by the officials of
the interior department.
Mr.. Wilson said that so large a portion
of Western Washington was covered with
timber that unless the land Office allowed
the selection of timber lands OH lands
which for the present are to be
classed as timber lands, it would
be almost an impossibiIity for the
state to get the benefit of its grant. The
officials said that a literal construction of
the law would he made. The instructions
would allow the surveyor general to make
surveys not alone of lands now valuable
for agricultural purposes, but of timber
lands when would be valuable for this
purpose when they have been cleared. In
view OF the fact that SO large portion of
the public lands of theN state are timber
lands, selections made by the state of
lands of this class would be allowed.
The office would also put liberal con-
struction on that part of the law which
requires surveys to be made only SO fast
as actual settlers may demand. If three
settlers upon lands which will be valuable
for agricultural purposes when cleared
make affidavit as to their settlement and
Improvement, then the surveyor general
would be authorized to make a survey of
the township in which they are located.
1t appeared that there had been a mis-
understanding of the position of the land
office on the part of somebody. Mr. Will
son was told that all that was needed was
for some authorized agent of the state to
designate in a general way the lands
which were desired under the terms of the
grant. The general land office would at
once authorize the suryeyor-general to use
that part of the appropriation for sur
veying the lands The only reason for any
delay in the state receiving It's grant
tracts at existing rates, and congress alone
had authority TO change their rates. The
chief OF the surveying division said that
all applications for authority TO make sur
veys had been allowed,
The land office has approved the contract
for surveying 39l $50 acres of public lands
in Washington. This includes all the sur
veys asked for by hesurveyor general of
that state and the land office MANY COM
plants have come to the interior depart
ment from residents of Washington to the
effect that owing to the restrictions in the
enabling act comforting state grants, the
lands cannot be surveyed, and the state
cannot get possession of the lands given
for the beneht of its educational and
and other public institutions. The
chief fault lies in the fact that the western
part of the state is so thickly timbered that
little land can be taken up under the pre-
emption or homestead act, and that is
necessary before the state can claim its
grant lands. The people of Washington
had also been told that each township
must be more than one-half taken I'D by
bona fide settlers before the state could be-
gin its surveys. This left very little desir-
able land.
To remedy this state of things and give
the state its just due, the secretary of the
interior has decided 10 interpret the law in
a liberal manner. Hereafter any settler
who has cleared five acres of timber land
SO that it Is mt for agricultural purposes
can claim all that the law allows as agri-
cultural land, and instead of requiring a
thick population the presence of three set
tiers who have complied with the law in
each township viii give the state the right
to select its land