The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-27
STILL OPEN TO ENTRY IN THE
STATES OF THE NORTH
WEST.
THE LAND OFFICE REPORT.
DETAIL OF THE PAST
YEAR.
PINE DEPREDATIoNs ARE SMALL
Measures of Importance Urged on
Congress by the Commissioners
Washington Gossip.

WASHINGTON, Oct 26-Commis-
sioner Of the General Land Office Bin
ger Hermann has submitted his annual
report to the secretary of the interior.
Compared with the previous year, it
shows q decrease of 1928 original
homestead entries aggregating 3ccS,025
acres. In the entire disposals of pub
lie land there was a falling off Of $780,
406 acres. The area sold for cash
reached 419,052 acres and miscellane-
Gus entries aggregated 7,334,554 acres.
The receipts from disposal Of public
lands amounted to $1,595, $3.50; and from
disposal of Indian lands $43S, ,716. There
we're 32,OS7 agricultural patents issued,
approXimating 5,133,920 acres. There
were patented or certified with the
effect of patenting, for the benefit of
railroad companies under congress
sional grants 5,1O1, ,969 acres, a decrease
of over IL, 900, 900 acres from the previ-
Gus year.
Lists of lands selected by the sew
eral states and territories under the
grant for educational purposes aggre-
gated 739, AT acres At the close of
the year there were pending railroad
selections embracing II, 436, 500 acres.
An approximate estimate of the
number of acres of vacant public
lands in the several states and terri
tories at the close of the fiscal year
is as follows:
Alabama, 532 $780, Arizona, "a 400, I'll; Ar
kansas, 1922, 042; California, 43, SAL Oh; Colo
rado, 40,037, ,2O4; Florida, 1,797 662; Idaho. 81
n
Michigan, 522, 431; Minnesota, 6,240, 8G9; Misss-
sippi, AL 22O; Missouri 497, 764; Montana, H.
432, ,917; Nebraska, 1868, 1858; Nevada, 81 5lS,-
5S6; New Mexico, 56,9S3O North Dakota,
q, ,SS5, ,29S; Oklahoma, S,1O5 2SS; Oregon. S5,-
S92 293 South Dakota Is, 250, rs; Utah, A. G25 070;
Washington, 1853 525; Wisconsin, 454,1O7
Wyoming, 49, 341, ,5SS; Alaska, 1863, ,529 600 acres
There were $40 cases of depredations
on public timber reported, involving a
value of $685., ,064, recoverable to the
government. Nearly 800 permits have
been issued to cut public timber since
the passage of the permit law, with
an estimated amount Of timber thus
allowed to be cut of 300000,000 feet.
Commissioner Hermann says:
Large corporations and companies
have secured permits at different times
to cut many millions of feet, notably
the Big. Blackfoot Milling company,
Bitter Root Developing company, and
Anaconda Mining company, all of
Montana. Since my induction, I have
refused to allow any license or use to
exceed one-quarter section, or any fur
ther quantity than upon showing of the
real necessity.
cat the present, timber dealers year
ly sweep vast quantities Of timber
from the public lands in the interests
of speculation, without paying dollar
to the government, and conflagrations
rage through the public forests with
out government effort to check de-
structfpn. The timber loss yearly
from these sources, conservatively,
runs up into the millions of dollars. It
is impracticable to protect and ad-
minister the forests upon the public
domain, without provision for the
maintenance of a full local force to
supervise the timbered lands and exc
cute these laws"
Among the recommendations are for
prompt action by congress to ternni-
nate the suspension of Arkansas land
claims; change of the course of pro-
ceedings for the adjustment of min
eral lands; modification of the law i'm
posing penalties for depredations on
public timber; and ample appropria-
tions for protecting and administering
existing and prospecting forest reser-
vations.