Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-03
THE NATIONS Lam
Commissioner Lamoreux Makes His An
nual Report to the Secretary.
More Than Ten Million Acres Disposed
OF During the Past Year-Several
Timely Recommendations.

s. W. Lamoreux. the commissioner Of the
general land office, in his annual report to
the Secretary of the Interior. shows that
during the fiscal year ended June 30. 1886.
the aggregate Of public lands disposed of
was II, ,esl LAB acres. OF which ], 1858 acres
were sold for cash, l0S96.127 were Indian
cellaneous entries and 81, 457 were Indian
lands. The principal sources Of decrease
during the year of the public land area are
given as follows. in acres:
Pre-emption entries. nS,S36; timber and
stone land entries. ls2. $40; desert land en-
tries, A1,OlS; homestead entries (originaD,
6,SOS,1sl; state selections. l,230.676; railway
selections. l,9G6, s4i; Indian lands, ss.457.
These totals, however, do not include
s, go acres previously reported as original
entries. This shows a decrease of 4Ooa In
the number of final entries and 433, Az acres
in area. In original entries the decrease is
6.SYl in number and go, III in acres.
The cash receipts of the office during the
year aggregate 81. las, 734. of which amount
the following are the principal items:
Sales Of land by pre-emption entry, $685.
362; sales Of timber and stone lands. Sass. 1858:
sales of mineral land. Sl65 4S6; sales of desert
land (original), sl0i. .259: sales of desert land
uinaD, S2Ss,01l; commuted homesteads. $60l.-
sos; commuted timber culture entries, S443.-
i2l; sales of coal land, slsl, ,764; fees and
Agricultural patents were issued during
the year to the number OF 1854. Of which
1857 were cash, 2l,6i3 homesteads and
5.34o timber cultures. This is a decrease
for the year of $685. representing s, $50
acres.
or mineral and mill site patents 1.e2s were
Issued as against 1922 issued during the
preceding year. 104 coal patents were is
sued, which is an increase for the year of
a. and an acreage of 3O03.
The report also shows that during the
year there were patented for the benefit of
railroad companies under congressional
grants 1,726.179 acres of which the follow
ing are the principal items:
Railroad Land Grants.
Atlantic and Pacific, 3l2. .3sS; Central Pa
cific. 1925; Florida Central and Peninsula.
255.5e0; Oregon and California, 292 4s6; North
ern Pacific in North Dakota, 2l0,397; North
ern Pacific in Washington. las, 46s; North
ern Pacific in Minnesota, 2,O55; Northern
Pacific In Oregon, 422; Hastings and Dako-
ia, 1906. This is a decrease for the year OF
292, 373 acres.
Swamp land patents were issued TO the
amount of 3OS.71 acres. There were also
approved during the year state school land
selections aggregating 552,242 acres.
The area of land patented on private
claims, donations. Indian allotments and
scrip locations was As, ,737 acres a decrease
for the year of 59o,72s acres. Public surveys
were made in the several states and terri
tories aggregating 13, 7S4,lS7 acres, the larg-
est acreage being in North Dakota with
8, 4s254S. Montana is next with 292 S70
acres: South Dakota next with 1857
acres, and Minnesota next with l,312 0s4
On June 80. 1893, the report shows that
there We're pending in the general land
once 2f,G6 final entries. which is an in
crease OF 2.167 as compared with the pre-
ceding year. A table which accompar1ies
the report shows that the area of public
lands In the several states and territories
Will aggregate about 5T,013595 acres The
states each having over 100000 acres are
given as follows. the figures representing
SO many millions:
Arizona, ~; California, AZ; Colorado. Il: :
Idaho, "a; Montana. "a; Nevada 53: New
Mexico, 81: North Dakota, IS: Oregon. 81.
Utah, IS; Washington. So: Wyoming, 5s.
In closing his report Commissioner
Lamoreux makes a number OF recommenda-
tions, or which the following are the most
important:
That the Office Of surveyor general for
Alaska be created; that proper legislation
be enacted for the segregation of timber
lands from agricultural and other lands
or the public domain and the proper dis
poSal OF the land and timber under the
direction Of the Secretary of the Interior;
that law for the protection and manage
ment OF forest reservations be enacted by
Congress; that a law be enacted for the
compulsory attendance of witnesses at land
off1ce hearings. and that the commissioner
be empowered to authorize, when deemed
expedient, surveys and resurveys at a
reasonable compensation by the day. in
are required involving only a small ex-
penditure. that the commissioner may au-
thorize the same to be made for q specified
sum for the entire work.