The San Francisco call., 1896-03-07
Provides for the Unnecessary
Expenditure Of Nearly
Half a Million.
STATEMENT. OF THE ACREAGE.
There Is No Reason Why the People
Should Be Taxed When They
Are Not Benefited.


Commissioner of the General Land Office
to-day transmitted to the Senate Commit
tee on Public Lands letter concerning
the mineral lands classification bill. He
says:
The lands to be classified under the bill be-
fore me are situated within old and new set
tied communities, and are generally surveyed
lands, and presumably have been thoroughly
examined ana explored by prospectors. in
clude statement OF acreage affected by the
bill. Approximate number of acres not pat
ented: Western Pacific grant 1,18S.317, Cen
trail Pacific grant 1,243.206, California and
Oregon grant SO, lob, Southern Pacific main
line 1,067, ,433. Southern Pacific branch line
1890, ,777; total, 7,50S ,023.
The lands to be classified In Montana and
Idaho are to great extent in practically COM
pact bodies, and the cost OF CLASSIFYING the
same is doubtless much less per acre than Will
be the cost of classifying the settling tracts in
California under this bill.
There are 7,5O9, 900 acres to be examined
under the provisions of the bill. The cost OF
examination and expenses in the Idaho dis
trict was six and two-tenths cents, the cost in
other districts ranging from one fifteen hun
dredths to two and three-tenths cents. The
lands in California, having been about half OF
them patented and those remaining unpat-
this bill being in isolated tracts estimate
the expense would be the same as that for tn e
examination for Idaho, to wit, six and two
tenths cents. therefore estimate that the cost
per acre for examining the lands in California
under the terms of this bill, with salaries of
Commissioners being larger than those of Com
missloners for Idaho, at cents per acre, and
this think low estimate. This would give
an estimated total cost of at least $3.50, 900,
and the same may reach $50O,0OO.
The reasons for the enactment of the act of
February do not apply to this bill. In Mon
tana and Idaho not an acre of land has been
patented to the railroad under grant at the
time that bill was introduced. 1t applied to
new country not fully prospected. This act
applies to isolated tracts on surveyed ground
that has been prospected for years. and
half the granted lands has already been pat
ented to the five corporations affected thereby.
In the Montana act but one company was in
terested.
Under the system OF procedure fully estab-
lished by the Interior Department the railroad
companies have borne the expense of publica-
tion which is required in all cases when land
selected is within six miles OF known mineral,
as in this report elsewhere set forth, and this
procedure has protected the rights OF mineral
claimants so well that no complaints have been
made OF its action by them.
i
good purpose can be subserved by relieving
the railroad companies of the necessary ex-
penses attending the selecting and giving
notice to all interested parties before receiving
patents for their grants and putting burden OF
classification upon the general public at an ex-
pense of not less than $450.OO0.
This bill gives Commissioners in addition to
$40 per day "their necessary expenses"
which must be estimated at not less than So
per day-thus making classifications more ex-
pensive, even if the opportunities in.Californla
were as favorable as in Montana. Summarized
my objections to the bill are: 1t is expensive
to the Government; it is not as efficient and
| accurate in its results as the departmental
| method of classification; it lays the burden on
| the people instead of the principal beneh-
| Charles.
If, however, Congress should determine to
classify lands in California, as is contemplated
| in the bill, recommend that it be amended as
| follows: In section 2. page 4, lines one and
| two it is suggested to strike out the words
"their actual expenses incurred while in the
performance of their official duties and to
| substitute therefor fixed daily sum, 'fn lieu
| OF subsistence" or make no allowance for sub
sistence or expenses.
| In section 8, page S, between lines q and
| %, add the following proviso: "And provided
| further, tnat this act shall not apply to any
| lands in which publication has been made, OF
been ordered, by the General Land Office under
the circular of the Department of the Inte-
rior approved July, 1894, and that all such
lands so published. or ordered to be published,
shall proceed to patent under existing regula.
tions."
All lists of selections of odd-numbered Sec
tions within these grants are, under the cir
cular of July 8. 1894, thoroughly examined in
connection with records Of this Office, and all
tracts within radius of six miles OF any min
eral entry, claim or location are eliminated
therefrom A supplemental list of the rejected
tracts is then prepared and the railroad re-
quired to publish for sixty days. From such
published list is eliminated all lands that have
been protested, or contested, or claimed to be
more valuable for mineral than for agricul-
tural purposes. The clear lands are certified
to the department for approval and patenting
a. agricultural, while hearings are ordered to
determine the characters of lands protested,
contested or claimed as mineral. 1t will be
seen that this procedure accomplishes the re-
suits sought to be attained by this bill.
Many such lists have been published and
hearings ordered and had on protests filed as a
result thereof. 1t is thought that no good pur-
pose would be subserved by having practically
the SAME action again, and an amendment to