Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-12-10
PUBLIC LANDS GO FAST.
Uncle Sam Disp0ses of Much Property
but Has Some Left.

Washington, Dec. 5.-The annual re-
port of the secretary Of the interior
was made public yesterday. 1t makes
a number of important recommended
tons. 1t proposes a solution of the
veXed problem of bond-aided roads,
deals extensively with the pension
administration, reviews the progress
of the Dawes commission negotiations
md touches upon various matters OF
especial significance in the west The
report opens with a discussion CT the
public domain. 1t shows that the TO-
tai number of acres disposed of up to
June 80 last was 946,000,000 leaving
the public domain still vacant estimat-
ed at over 600,000,000, not including
the district of Alaska, with an area OF
over 100000, 900 acres. "These figures
the report says, demonstrate that the
country is being settled with great
rapidity and public domain is dimin-
ishing with great strides. If the rate
Of disposition of the last thirteen
years, which was 25,000,000 acres per
year, continue for thirteen years to
come there will be little public domain
that time. Of the Des M0ineS river
land claims over $117,632 have ben
paid and the remainder will be paid by
the end of this calendar year.
The total amount paid by the gov
ernment in pensions and the cost Of
disbursing the same for the las thirty
years is $2,034 ,817,769 This lacks
only little over $346, 712, 500 of being
equal to the high water mark of inter
est-bearing public debt. The p. esent
number of pensioners which is go
CTS, is greater by 1866 than in 1898,
when the maximum annual cost was
reached and is greater than ever be-
fore. This is due to the death Of old
soldiers and the continued payment
of allowances to their heirs, while the
amount paid is decreased through the
death of invalid pensioners leaving I'D
dependents. The pension policy Of
the department has been to N Ike t g
pension list a roll of hon-T ruin r
than to save money to the g0ye-am ut.
The effort has been to defe-t the de-
signs of imposters and recognize the
claims of the needy and deseTr. rig.
The general public sentinel, h W
ever, is that the obligations e tie
government are confined to these VINO
fought for it's maintenance ana n Sc
dependent upon them. An inc-ea
from So to S12 per month is recon-
mended for all wholly disabled and
destitute Mexican war survivors.
Under the head of Indian affairs the
secretary repeats his recommendation
for commission of three, one of
whom shall be an army officer, to
take the place of the commissioner and
assistant commissioner Of Indian af-
fairs.
Under the head of bond-aided rail-
roads the secretary says that he has
complied with the joint resolution Of
June 10 requiring him to continue the
issue of patents to bonafde pur-
chasers of lands sold by bond-aided
railroads, but he says that he declined
to issue patents to all surveyed lands
ON application of the Central Pacific.
He says: THE representative of
the Central Pacific further contended
that their road was not in default to
the government, and that if it were
the lands are not covered by govern
ment mortgage and cannot be held for
the same. I do not agree with either
of these statements. as it is clearly
shown that the road is in default 10
the government"
With regard to the Nicaraguan Mar
thine Canal company's charter by rne
government in 1889, the secretary says
that the preliminary report OF the
company submitted to him shows tnat
no work has been done during the
present year.