Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-11-01

The decrease in the estimate for pay
ment of pensions in 1896 is a decrease
from the appropriation for the current
year. That appropriation was made
before the close of the last fiscal year
and was for SIC, 100000 more than the
amount actually expended last year.
The estimate for 1896 is no decrease
from the amount actually expended
last year, but is based upon the idea
that the expenditures will be station
airy for the years 1894, 1895 and 1896.
In the general land Office increase of
estimates of appropriat for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1896, are sub
mitted under the following heads:
Additional clerical force of twenty in
the office 27,7
Protecting public lands from fraudulent
entry, protecting the public timber
from depredations etc. ...,............ $50 coo
Surveying the public lands. ............ US 900
Clerical and contingent expenses in the
offices of the surveyor-generaL. 54-913
Total .s4s7, 66s
OIn the clerical force of the general
land offices an increase is asked of
twenty additional clerks-which will
cost $27, 75O-to bring up to date the
great mass of accumulated work I'M
disposed of by the last administrati
There are now pending and undis-
posed of in the general land office 49,
336 cases, involving 1888, 532 acres of
land. For protecting public lands,
timber and recovering large amounts
involved in timber trespasses an in
crease is asked of $16O,OOO, to be used
in the employment of additional special
agents engaged in the prosecution of
timber treSpasSes, etc.
L,
service Is more than returned to the
government in the actual value of
moneys recovered from cash forfeited
on entries, Cancelled by the action of
special agents and recovered in the
prosecution of timber trespass, etc.
In addition this branch of the serv-
ice in the last eight years caused the
cancellation of z, 161 entries of the pub
lie land embracing t,e2s,272 acres, and
restored the same to the pull bile domain,
valued at rates fixed by law at 81, $780,
100. This land when sold will show
81, 945, 100 to the credit of this service
in excess of all the money expended
for it in the past eight years. The
amount recovered from timber tres
passers alone averaged over 500, 900
per annum. A much greater
sum could be recovered with
an increase of agents for this purpose.
It is further estimated that if the in
creased force of agents is given fully
s., 900, 900 should be recovered from
various sources and returned into the
treasury. For surveying public lands
an increase is asked of $175, 900, and for
clerical and contingent expenses of the
surveyor-generafs Office, $54, 913; total,
S229913 This increase is urged to
meet the demands of the settlers for a
survey of the lands in order that
they may inaugurate their claims
to the same, and before the
government can take any steps
toward the disposition of such lands,
or until they have been surveyed in ac-
cordance with law. If the increase for
surveying the public lands is granted
the offices of the surveyor-general will
necessarily require additional clerical
force, and their contingent expenses
will be greater on account Of increased
number of returns coming into these
offices from the deputy surveyors.