The morning call., 1892-12-05
REPORT OF NOBLE.
Report of the Interior De-
partment.
LARGE ACREAGE RESTORED.
An interesting Review of the Work
Accomplished in the Bureaus Under
the Secretary's Supervision.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.


plished during this administration is shown
TO have greatly exceeded any in like pre-
ceding period in the history OF the depart
ment. In the General Land Office on June
80. 1888, there were pending 550,953 final en-
tries, and the accumulation was steadily
increasing These have all been disposed
of. During the present administration $685.
12S agricultural patents have been issued,
as against 162, 7J4 in the preceding four
years, representing an excess In acreage OF
1869, $40 acres.
During the past year six forest reserves
have been created by Presidential procia-
nation. making the area now reserved
8, 3,252, go acres. This policy will be further
carried into effect. All public parks in the
United States under the control of the Inte-
rior Department, except the hot Springs
Reservation in Arkansas, are under guard
of special details from the army, and are
well protected and rapidly gaining in Datu-
raj beauty and attractiveness.
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 viii be completed before the close of
the present surveying season. The line is
marked by monuments of quartzte. and
works of the Land Office.
Educational work among the Indians has
greatly increased and improved in effici-
ency. There has been an increase Of over
l3 per cent in the attendance at the new
Indian reservation boarding schools, es-
tablished during the present admlnistra-
ton, and more are In progress and will be
opened soon.
Under the policy of Indian allotments ne
gotlatoRs with fourteen tribes during the
present administration resulted in opening
up for public settlement nearly 100000
acres of land Other negotiations which
are pending will, when ratified, add 10.0O0.-
600 acres more. Allotment Of lands in
severalty TO Indians have been made in
very large numbers, and $500 20 whom pat
ents have been issued by operation of the
law have become citizens of the United
States.
A very important agreement was nego-
tiated in December, 1891. whereby the
Cherokee nation cedes lis rights to the
Cherokee outlet for the sum of S., ,597, ,7S6 -
The ratification of tie agreement by Con-
gress will open to settlement about 6.O00.-
coo acres Of land which is very fertile and
valuable for agricultural purposes. The
ratification is strongly urged
in the suppression Of the liQuor traffic
among Indians.
Formerly there was much complaint that
the quality Of goods delivered was far be-
low the samples furnished Under the per-
sonal supervision of the Assistant Secretary
the Commissioner for Indian Affairs and
scme members of tie Board Of Indian Com
misstoners these evils haze been corrected
and the reputation Of the service for fair
dealing has been restored.
The taking of the census in 1890,
recognized al the beginning as most im-
pOr;ant and difficult task, has been success
fully accomplished. The census publications
have been received with favorable ndorse-
ment throughout the civil Zed world and the
work stands an acknowledged success and a
great scientific achievement. A mass o.
statistics is now in progress Of com pletion
and much of il is already in the hands of
the printer. With the exception OF a small
amount OF work on vital statistics and
population and statistics Of manufactures
and agriculture, all the regular work of the
eleventh census is about completed. The
farm mortgages report will be conf lsted in
about twelve months.
There has been no marked change In the
business methods Of the Patent Office. The
the year was IS 9i5; total number awaiting
action July ]. 1892. 9447; number Of patents
granted. 1896; total receipts. 81, ,26S. 724 35;
total expenditures. S1.114 134 %; amount in
the Treasury to Tie credit Of the Patent
Office now, Si.102, AL.
The volume of business managed and dis
posed OF by the Pension Office during the
past year is shown 10 have been enormous
On June 30, 1892, there were s76O pen
sioners on the rolls, being i99, COS more than
at the close Of the last fiscal year The
total amount expended for pensions during
the year was Sl39, 035,6 ,612 6S. and It Is esti-
mated that The appropriation for 1893 OF
Sl44. 956, eco will leave a deficiency There
have been filed up TO date, October
II, 1892, 920,957 claims under tie
act of June 27. 1890. and there have
been issued thus far of these claims
403,S39 certificates. The total number of
certificates issued during the year was
3l1.5S9 the total number of pensioners
dropped from the rolls. %, 206; the average
annual value of each pension on the roll is
sI33 Al. Under the provisions of the act of
June q, 1891. many claimants who could
not ests blsb that their disability originated
in The service have been enabled to secure
much needed assistance ard financial relief.
Il L
ment Of an aetuary to collect certain statistics
relative to the question Of the effect Of army
service upon the expectation OF the lives of
soldiers and the probable duration of the
peDsi0n-roll, which, H. is thought, will be a
valuable contribution to science. The esti-
mate for the deficiency in the Pension
Department for this year is $40. 55s.6Si.
The estimate for the fiscal year ending June
30. 1894. is Sl65. .000. 900.
The Secretary states that the work of the
Geological Survey has been carried on
with great efficiency. The report states
that it has been determined by triangula-
tion that the summit cf Mount ST. Elias, in
Alaska, has an altitude Of 1900 feet above
the sea, making it the highest point on the
continent. unless certain unmeasured vol
canoes in Mexico should prove TO be higher.
This great landmark lies just little on our
side of the boundary between Alaska and
British America and will bear the United
States flag.
The Bureau OF Railroads has been en-
ploy ed in seeking conclusions as to the best
treatment the Government should give to
the debt Of the subsidized railroads now
approaching maturity. Full reports are
submitted to Congress as to the guarantees
OF stocks or bonds and the payment Of the
Indebtedness Of the various roads. The
suggestions made in the Commissioners
report look to the extension of the debt and
the increase of the security. The report of
the Government directors of the Union
Pacific Railway shows that they coincide
with the Railroad Commission in recon-
mending an extension rather than FORE
closure.
Great satisfaction was produced In the
Territory Of New Mexico by the organiza-
tion OF the Land Court and the character of