Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-05
Over Ten Million Acres Disposed Of
During the Past Year.
HOW TEE LAND WAS TAKEN UP
Measures Of Relief Proposed for
Sufferers From Forest Fires.
LAND OFFICE REPORT

general land office, has made his annual
report to the Secretary Of the Interior. The
| report shows there has not been as much
activity in public land matters this year as
previously due, the commissioner thinks. to
| the hard times in the west and the conse-
quent decrease in immigration. The most
| important recommendations Of the COM
missioner relate to the forest fires in Mich
| igan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and what
shall be done with the timber on public
lands. Commissioner Lamoreux is a prac-
teal lumberman. On the subject of the
| forest fires in Michigan, Wisconsin and
| Minnesota he says:
| These fires extended over vast areas OF
| country, causing great loss of life and prop
| erty and inflicting sore distress upon thous-
| ards of Inhabitants thereon. whose MONIES
were in many instances destroyed and their
means of subsistence cut on.
| These fires seriously affected valuable
| public timber-bearing land In the region OF
| country over which they extended. A great
part Of the land burned over Is now held
| by settlers who are in process OF per1ecuihs
| title to the premises occupied by them' put
| who have not yet resided sufficiently long
| thereon to permit them to Immediately
prove up and complete their titles under
existing statutes.
| been left in such a condition that, II not
| cut and disposed of in a short time, 1t Will
become worm-eaten and worthless, thus de-
prving the land of a great proportion OF Its
value to the settler seeking title thereto.
. The Remedy Proposed.
| Numerous applications have been made
| by the sufferers from these fires for per-
mission to cut the timber from their land
and sell il at once before II becomes worm
eaten, decayed and worthless. This ofHce
has not felt warranted by law to grant
| the permission asked for, fnasmuch as
standing timber whether green or dead,
| and growing or burned and dead, Is part
of the realty and cannot be disposed or
| separate from the land in the absence or
| special provision of law
From the facts stated Ii is clear, how
| ever, that unless some authority is given
| by which the settlers may utilize the TIM
Der on their respective claims which mas
| been injured by fire before 1t becomes
| worm eaten and decayed. much additional
| loss and suffering must ensue to them, and
| millions of feet of now valuable timber
| must go to destruction. j, therefore, ur-
gently recommend that promptly upon the
reassembling Of Congress law be enacted
| by which the settlers on such lands shall
| be allowed, upon proving the existence OF
| the conditions which have indicated to the
| satisfaction of the different land officers
| acting under the supervision and control Of
| the department, and upon further proof Of
compliance in good faith with the require
ments of residence and cultivation as far
| as practica BILE up to the time of the occur
renee of fires upon their lands, to perfect
their claims by Communication thereof to
| cash purchase at the legal price per acre.
by this means the right and opportunity
would be given such settlers to cut and dis
pose of the burned timber during the early
| part of the approaching winter and before
| 1t becomes worthless. thereby preserving 1t
| from destruction and in some degrees re-
| lieving the suffering to which they have
| been subjected by the devastating confiagra-
tons which have SO seriously afflicted the
section of country in which they have their
| homes. 1t would seem that the instincts of
| humanity and justice unite to demand such
| legislation.
Il would further recommend that such
other provisions for the relief of these set
tiers as Congress may deem proper may be
made, following the precedent set in a SINH
lar of fires in the same states by the
act of Congress of June s, 1s72.''
The Survey System.
Commissioner Lamoreaux recommends an
innovation in surveys. Instead Of the con-
tract system under which public lands are
now surveyed he says that the government
should make the surveys. He suggests that
the work be done by the geological survey
and points out that at present the geological
survey is compelled to go over the same
ground which has been previously gone over
by the contract surveyors. The geograph-
ical survey and the typographical survey,
the commissioner maintains, can be made
at the same time and with much less ex-
pense. He also recommends that the sur
veys be made as fast possible.
During the last fiscal year the report
states that an aggregate of some ten mil
lion acres of land were disposed of, a de-
crease, as compared with the preceding
year, OF about one million and a half acres
The aggregate of cash receipts was s., 49, -
S24 a decrease of H,I11,sU9. The effect Of
the repeal OF the timber culture and pre-
emption laws by the act of March g. 1881
was a factor in the reduction of the busl-
ress done. During the year the largest
number of acres of public lands sold at cash
sales was through desert land entries Pre-
emption entries stand next, and then comes
timber and stone land entries mineral land
entries, private entries, excuses on home
stead and other entries, town site entries
public auction, and coal land entries
Over eight million acres were disposed OF
through original homestead entries then
state selections rank next, and railroad Sc
allotments absorbed land in smaller
amounts. The area of land sold for cash
was 6l3,S26.61 acres; through miscellaneous
entries. 9'Si,o9S acres, and Indian lands
2S,S1G acres.
Agricultural patents We're issued to the
number of 3o,25o containing 500 500 acres
Or this acreage 2l,O11 acres were home
stead patents, 9.99S cash patents and 4 IoO
timber culture patents. AS compared with
last year the decrease in the number of
agricultural patents was S,429 and that
was a decrease of 1,34S,6 $40 acres OF min
eral and mill site patents 13t3 were issued
as against 1,62S for the preceding wear.
s;Aty coal patents as compared with 1Oi for
last year. decrease of 3. 7O6 acres.
mere were patented for the benefit of
railroad and wagon road companies S65 5.,,
acres, decrease of S60,623 acres The
Northern Pacific received the bulk of the
land. There was a decrease of 10000 acres
in land patented under the swamp land
laws, the total patented being 13S I59 acres
| This falling off is attributed in part to the
reduction by Congress in the clerical force
| of the office.
Some RecOmme ndations,
The commissioner renews his recon-
| mendation for legislation providing for the
| compulsory attendance of witnesses at hear
ings before registers and receivers of the
local ls nd offices In cases involving the
validity of entries Of the public lands.
The report calls attention to the notice
which was posted during the past year
| through the public forests urging care on
the part of the public in the prevention Of
| fires, end giving notice that prosecutions
will be made in all cases when fires have
origin ated through carelessness or design.
The decrease in the number of applications
for permits to cut timber on public lands ia
noted Only seventy-cne applications We're
received last year, as compared With eighty
seven in 1893, and 425 in 1892
The addition of the Cascade range and
AI1