The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-01-03
RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS.
| The commissioner makes the following
recommendations:
"By virtue of an act approved March y
1875, entitled ian act to provide for thu
lrecompilation of an abstract of the located
titled and patented lands in Texas" i
was made the duty of the commissioner
| of the general land Office, as soon as prac
ticable. to prepare new abstract of Texas
land titles.
In compliance with the above, gen
eral recomplation of the printed abstract
| was made, and the work condensed into
| two octave volumes, comprising grants
and locations had up to 1877, including
a supplement.
| These supplements have been continued
Zone being issued annually until VOL
| XVIII has been reached. Many errors
and incongruities naturally creep into. a
work so voluminous, which can only be
remedied by recompilat;on, say every two
decades.
1t has now been 20 years since a re-
vision took place, and that it is badly
| needed at this time, is the verdict of those
who have to deal with our congested
system of rendition. The Office is in re-
ceipt of letters from various counties OF
our state, praying for q new abstract OF
their tax rolls, which, of course, cannot be
furnished without an enabling act:
| therefore recommend a complete re-
codification of the printed abstract, for
the following reasons:
First-Many surveys upon our assess
ments are doubtless erroneous or have
been abandoned, but no proof having been
filed, save the report of the assessor and
surveyor, as required by the act of 1850,
the Office does not feel justified in their
cancellation, On the other hand, should
a new abstract be prepared, these sur
veys could be entirely omitted, except in
such cases where proof of abandonment
is insufficient, thereby relieving the state
of unnecessary expense incurred in the
payment of assessments where there can
be no collections. In like manner, sur
yeys which upon their face are clearly
excessive, but calling for natural bound
aries, by recent decision of the supreme
court no correction of location or can
collation. of patent can be made. In going
over the files necessary for recomplla-
ton, these excessive surveys would be
made to appear for their actual area, ac
cording to the rehabilitation.
Second-In a revision as contemplated,
the file number could be appended, re-
lieying the office of running the gauntlet
of index volumes, which owing to their
constant wear must be frequently renew
ed, at great cost for their copying: At
present there is some difficulty III ldentl-
flying certain surveys; especially is TINS
the case with prescriptions, owing to
there appearing two or more locations
in the same name and the same county.
This could be remedled by atIachlnS tne
survey and block number, which would
certainly prove a great CONVENIENCE 10
parties corresponding with the ONCE i'll
regard to land. =,
Third-As matters stand at present, 1t
has become quite an expensive item TO
those wishing complete set OF abstracts,
costing So per volume as fXed by law.
The department having immediate super
vision of the abstract work mas Deen ma
terially handicapped by the magnitude
of the labor involved in the examination
of each file. That this would be largely
reduced by condensation OF volumes
needs no special argument, as 1t is pam
ly evident that one clerk could scan two
quarto volumes in as short time as TWO
clerks can examine Is octave Eoiumes.
While a recompilation would necessl-
tate new abstract numbers it is by no
means contemplated that the old should
be entirely dlsregarueq, as lneaT ot,,u
be easily retained without compllcatlhs
matters. The regular apstract clerhS'
With one dra1tsnali cail w 6 NE m W.
That section IL, chapter lOo, page lio,
act of March ", 1889, mining laWs, ne
so amended as to authorize tne colln rs
sioner of the general land ONCE 10 ae-
clare forfeiture OF claims 1or laii9re "
do the annual assessment WORK anu Pay
ment of annual lnstalimeht' "i'h ih'ei
est thereon. ,,o.s oo+;on
Also, aliow an puicn n' e., dote of an
10 of said act ten years from u"te vi az
plication for survey, IN WniGn ~ %pP.9S
for patent as PROVIDED III say on eeo ama RI
That section L, cnapter on, PaSe o -,
act of March ~, 1851, De SO ainun noru;ot'
to authorize, the sale Oh sucn "ppt t n,oro
ed public domain CONTAINING, nou o niun
than 64O acres OF less Ill an ois"n'"'"
, On ,,oco O.
That section I, cnapler 90, p"55o5 nS
act OF April l; 1851, De SO aLle eh io,dS
to authorize the SAFE OF Mateleu o ,a in
at not less than TWO doi,ars pei "IIn Won 30
the following cOuntlesi An ,l': 1 m
lima, Bowie; Delta, Eranklih' tfanu,n
Harrison, HOUSTON, Jasper, , W. So
Morris, Nac1gu9cnes, H pmd
ton, Orange, Pamela, foik, hai u.s. i1eu
River, Sabine, San Angustlhe;ir Sun 30"
cintO, Shelby, TITUS lrlni''' i!lei anu
Walker. .,. ,,o+ ,,ort;or-