The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-30
INFERIOR REPORT.
Secretary Smith Makes His An
nual Report for 1894.
INDIAN AFFAIRS and PENSIONS
Constitute tho BuIk of the Report.
Public Lands and Their Condition.
Some Interesting Pension Statistics.
Tho Railroads in Which the Gov.
crumeus Holds Bonds are In Excel.
lent Condition.

W AghANNAbNl Os Sst @'SNs -Ns @t@S
annual report OF the secretary of the
interior this year is largely routine.
Much Of it is devoted to Indian affairs,
and a forecast OF this portion of the re-
port has already been given in the AS
ISOLATED Press Dispatches. The next i'm.
porlant feature concerns public lands.
The work OF the general land Office is
great in quantity and varied in charac.
ter. It's administrative and semiiudi.
cial. The report OF the commissioner
presents in details what has been done
by the bureau during the past fiscal
year.
The public lands disposed of during
the year, BY cash Gales, miscellaneous
entries, and selections of all kinds,
amounted 10 10, ISL, 224 72 acres. In ad.
dition to this, 2S.S76 05 acres OF Indian
lands were disposgd OF, making an ag'
gregats Of &c, 4o6, 100 II acres. The COM
missioner approximates the vacant
public lands remaining at COG. 040, SlS n
acres. This does not include Alaska
(which contains over 360, 0O0,0 900 acresl,
military and other reservations, or rail-
road, etc.
The report OF the commissioner shows
that forty agents have been employed
during the year in the investigation OF
fraudulent land entries, and in other
wise protecting the public lands from
illegal appropriation and timber tres.
pass. Their work also included the in.
vestigation OF applications for permits
under the recent acts TO cut timber on
public lands and upon forest reserves.
Over 500 cases were referred to them
for investigation, and fual action was
taken in 1862 cases. There are now
pending in the genera. land office
over 1000 cases.
Timber depredations have been re.
ported during the year involving value
Of over $l,0O0,0O0. On this account
S23,52l ~ have been recovered during
the year, IS civil suits are pending in
the courts for the recovery OF nearly ST.
500, 1000, the value of timber alleged to
have been anIawfully cut, aud 2S3 crim-
inal prosecutions are also pending.
PENSIONS.
At the close OF the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1894, $685. pensioners were
borne upon the rolls, an increase OF
1852 pensioners during the year.
The pensioners may be classed as
follows:
Soldiers and sailors. '53's6S
Widows. orphans and other dependent
2Lo'
Army nurses................... IA
Ofthese, 1860 pensioners are on aC-
count OF Indian and other wars prior to
the late war, and Is, 429 widows, orphans
and other dependent relatives. Under
the act OF June 81, 1890. there are $751;
OS4 pensioners and 94.260 widows and
orphans.
1t is interesting to note that nine
widows and three daughters of veterans
of the Revolution constitute the pen.
sion roll for that war. Forty.tlve sur
vivors OF the war OF 1872 constitute the
remnant OF that list.
The total amount expended for pen
sions during tho past fiscal year was
Sl39, 1904, 4Gl o., leavinga balance from
the appropriation in the treasury OF
$50, POS, Sl2 65.
The estimate TO. the fiscal year 1895
made by the commissioner is Sl4or-
100000.