The record-union., 1891-11-30
Special to the REcoRD-UNrox.

w ASh1NN1ON, NOV. ZJ.-lHG annual
report of Secretary of the Interior Noble
has been transmitted to the President.
The report says: Not including Alaska
or Indian lands, the vacant lands of the
United States amounted on June 80
1891, to 579,000,000 acres, of which 294,-
OO3,000 acres are yet unsurveved. At
least 00,000,0G0 acres of these vacant lands
are useless for agriculture, but l20, ,0O0, 900
may be redeemed by irrigation
The present Commissioner of the Gen
eral Land Office is of the opinion that the
wisest plan would be to transfer the land
and water to the direct control of the
States, subject to such instructions as
would insure the reclamation of the land
by the States and the transfer of title to
actual settlers in quantity not exceeding
100 acres Of land to each settler, with pro-
visions for forfeiture to the United States
IN case ora violation of the conditions of
the grant.
During the year surveys of l4S reser
voirs have been made. OF these thirty
three are in California. Connected with
the water supply is the necessity of max
ing reservations from settlement of pub
lie lands about the heads of streams that
are to make irrigation possible. The
LACb dilONS The HfGSlGGnI to re-
serve any public land bearing forests as
public reservations. 1t is urgently recon-
mended that Congress have the reserya-
tlonS that are proclaimed by the Presi-
dent established as national public parks.
or granted to the States to be preserved
unlmproved for the benefit of the public.
During the last year 100000 acres of
public lands were disposed of by cash
sales, S,00O.O00 by miscellaneous entries.
and 10000 acres of Indian lands. aegre-
eating lO,O00,000 acres. The total cash re-
celptS from various sources for the wear
amounted to S5,000,000 The number of
agricultural patents issued during the
year were ia 800, which, allowing l6O
acres to each patent, would embrace an
aggregate of 100000 acres. There were
patented for the benefit of railroad COM
panies, under Congressional grants, dur
ing the year over 100000 acres.
The vacant public lands of California.
surveyed and unsurveyed, amount to
over 50, 200, 900 acres.
Referring to the examination as to the
. management of the Yosemite Valley
now under control of California, the Sec
retary says: "It was not contaminated
that the valley should be turned into a
farm or stock ranch. Rents were to be
merely incident to the main purpose of
preserving the park. If this be true. the
construction of the statute has been mis-
IuttTpISleu ny the management Fur
ther examination into the matter is rec
omended
In the case of the Keweah colonies
claiming certain lands within the limits
of the reservation for national park in
California, it was held (l) that the final
entries of any of said land prior to the
executive withdrawal of the legislative
reservation prima facie valid, should be
recognized as valid until duly cancelled
by the Land Department.. (2). That
the parties who, have not made
entries of said land, but have merely
made filings thereon, and are cutting
timber therefrom, should be considered
tresspassers and removed from the res
eryation, and 81 the homesteaders who
have not made final entries and are cut-
ting timber for the purpose of sale and
not for the purpose of clearing the land
for cultivation, should be restrained by
judicial action.
Referring to the payment of pensions.
the Secretary says: ''The sums of money
thus expended from the national treas
ury have been, indeed, large, but this
has not intertered with the liberal adj
ministration of the Government in all
other directions, while the obligation of
the nation to its defenders, long acknowl-
edged, has been in part and will be under
this Act fully met. There were on June
80, 1891, 676,l60 pensioners borne upon
the rolls, l3S,2l6 more than were carried
on the rolls at the close of the last fiscal
year.