The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-12-09
INTERIOR REPORT.
Secretary Noble Publishes his An
nual Report.
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF HIS WORK.
The Public Paris. Indian AlIotments, Gem
sus, Sealing Dispute. Pensions
and other Matters
Treated.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5-The annual report Of
Secretary Noble to the president is an interest
ing document and covers fully and in detail the
operations of this department The volume of
work accomplished during the present admin
istEation is shown TO greatly exceed that of any
like preceding period in the history of the de-
partment In the general land Office on June
30, lSSS there were pending $50 95S final entries,
and the accumulation steadily increasing. These
have all been disposed of. During the present
administration 3ss 12S agricultural patents have
been issued, against l62 154 in the preceding
four years, representing an excess in acreage of
81, $50 $40 acres. Tire policy of making forest
ries over the western states and territories has
been greatly advanced during the past year.
Reserves have been created by presidential
proclamation making area of 3, 80, 30 acres.
This policy will be further carried into effect
aud will be most benehcent andsfar reaching in
its results.
The public parks in the United States under
control of the interior department-Yellow-
stone park, the National PARK, the SeQuOia Ma
tional park, U. 5. Grant National park and the
Hot Springs reservation in Arkansas, except
ing the latter, are under guard of special de-
tails from the army and are well protected and
rapidly gaining in natural beauty and attract
iveness. The boundary line between the states
of North and South Dakota has been surveyed
from the eastern end of the line TO the Missouri
river and the remainder OF the line will be com
pleted before the close OF the present surveying
season This line is marked on monuments of
quartizite and will remain one of the most con-
spicuous works OF the land office.
Educational work among the Indians has
been greatly increased and improved in eff
ficiency. There has been an increase of l2 per
cent in attendance of children in the schools,
the total for 1892 being 1878 scholars New
Indian reservation boarding schools have been
established during the present administration.
and more are in progress which it is anticipated
will be opened soon, Under the policy OF In
dian allotments negotiations with fourteen
tribes during the present administration have
resulted in the opening up for public
settlement of nearly 2j,00), 30 acres of
land. Other negotiations which are pending
WILL when ratified add 100000 acres more.
Allotments of land in severalty to the Indians
have been made in very large numbers, and
5 go TO whom patents have been issued, have
by operation of law become citizens Of the
United States. The report goes into extensive
detail of negotiations with the various Indian
tribes and reciteS fully the progress OF the
work under the various Indian commissions,
too numerous TO mention.
There has been no marked change in the bust
lIass methods of the patent office. The number
of applications for patents during the year wa s
45, ,945, the total number awaiting action July l,
1891. 9,44T. The number OF patents granted was
: 626 the total receipts were 81, ,26s, I2+35 and
the expenditures s1,ll4. 1874 %. The amount in
the treasury to the credit o. the patent office is
now 81, 102, ,44L09 The secretary states that
the work OF the geological survey has been
carried on with great efficiency In the topo-
graphic branch $4,000 square mics have been
surveyed during the past year, making a
total OF 6)),0jO square miles up to the present
time.
The report stated that ii has been determined
by triangulaton that the summit of Mount St
Elias has altitude of 49, 100 feet above the sea,
making it the highest point on the continent,
unless certain unmeasured volcanoes of Mexico
should prove to be higher. This great land
mark lies just little TO one side of the boundary
between Alaska and British America and will
bear the United States flag.
The volume of business handled and disposed
OF by the pension office during the past year is
shown to have been enormous. There were on
rolls, being 199 9Js more than were on the rolls
at the close of the last fiscal year. Among
these are twenty-five widows and daughters of
soldiers of the revolution and l6j survivors of
the war OF 1872 The total amount expended |
for pensions during the year was slS9 9035.6l26o,
and il is estimated that the appropriation for |
1893 of SI4i, ,i93 00J will leave deficiency. There
have been fled up to date of October l3, 1882, |
92O 90 claims under the act of June p, l-9j. and
there have been issued thus far OF these claims
ass ,345 certificates. |
The force of the pension Office consists OF !
!, ,09j persons, assigned to fifteen divisions. a |
certain number of these divisions are under the |
immediate direction of the deputy commission |
ers and chief clerks Some idea of the magni- |
tude of the work can be formed from the fact |
that during the year 5,5J7l2J pieces of mail |
were received and 6,6I6 pieces sent out. The |
total number of certificates issued during the |
year was 3ll,5S1 The total number OF pension |
ers dropped from the rolls WAS 21.2O6 The |
average annual value Of each pension on the |
roll is sl33 Al. Under the provisions of the act |
Of June %. 1892 many claimants who were Sc |
riously disabled and living upon charity. but |
who could net establish service origin Of their |
disability, have been enabled to secure much /
needed assistant and financial relief
The bureau of railroads has been cmplo red in |
seeking conclusions as 20 the best treatment |
the government should give to the debt OF sub
sidized railroads nowSapprOachiGG maturity. |
Full reports have been submitted to congress
Us to the guarantees of stocks o. bonds and |
paw ment of indebtedness OF the various roads /
The suggestions made in the commissioners
report look 10 an extension OF the debt and an
increase of security. history OF the railways |
Of the United States and tables OF statistics
showing the eject OF railway construction upon
the population and development was furnished
the international American conference.
Great satisfaction has been produced by the
organization by the land court and The eharac-
ter of the judges selected. ALASKA IS virtually |
without an organized government Il is diff
cult TO punish perpetrators OF ou;rdyes, and
smugglers that infest the coast and debauch
the natives The secretary recommends an
appropriation for steam police vessel to
run along the coast and among the ISL
lnds TO which many of the frgitives escape.
Only nucleus of military organization exists,
of one company and the congress
sional appropriation for Alaska is now being
withheld so that even the operations of this
small body OF militia are restricted Addi-
tional commissioners and deputy marshals are
requested and represented to be nee
cessary in order to furnish court facilities.
The international complications from the
killing OF the seals in the ocean and in the Beh-
ring sea have greatly embarrassed the lessees
Of the seal island. In 1899 no less than 5l0JO
seals we're taken in the open sea, and more
han that number in 1891. During the last sea
son onlv /, ,10J seals were killed the seal ISL
lnds and the diminished number upon the roolG-
cries shows a terrible waste Of seal life bj the |
Methods employed in pelagic seal
nE.
The report is replete with information as &c
the great bureaus mentioned and can be fully
appreciated only by a careful perusal
Two Railway Victims.