Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-11-16
PUBLIC LANDS REPORT.
Annual Statement of Commission.
or Of the General Land Office.
Number of Acres OF Public Lands in
the Several States and Tcrrito-
rics-Receipts from Sales Ag-
gregatcd $1,5OG,3sO.

Commissioner of the General Land
Office Binger Hermann has submitted
his annual report to the secretary OF
vious year it shows decrease of 3,290
original homestead entries, aggregat-
ing 378,625 acres. In the entire dis
posals of public land there was falling
off of 5,37o,4O6 acres. The area sold for
cash reached 419,o5 acres and miscella-
neous entries aggregated z, 1884, 1854 acres.
The receipts from disposal of public
lands amounted to $1,596,3so; and from
the disposal Of Indian lands, $43s,716.
There were 32,os7 agricultural patents
issued approximating 5,133,92O acres.
There were patented or certified with
the effect of patenting for the benefit
cf railroad companies, under congress
sional grants, 5,1o1,969 acres, a decrease
of over 1O,OOO,OoO acres from the previ-
Gus year.
Lists of lands selected by the several
states and territories under the grant
for educational purposes aggregated
730,417 acres. AT the close of the year
there were pending railroad selections
embracing 11,4SG,sO9 acres.
AnapproNimate estimate of the num-
Der of acres of public lands in the sew
eral states and territories at the close of
the fiscal year is as follows:
Alabama, 5S2S39; Arizona, 54, 400, ,211; Ar
kansas. 3,922,042; California, 1854 ,044: Col
orado. 4O.O37.2O4; Florida, 1,797662; Idaho.
4o,96 .S55; Kansas, 1046,5S9; Louisiana, &5.-
02o; Michigan, s22,4s1; Minnesota. 6,24s,sos:
Mississippi. 44l.22O; Missouri. 497.764; Mon
tana. n432,s17; Nebraska, 1860. 1858; Me-
vada. 61,57S.5S6; New Mexico, 56.9S3 o47;
North Dakota, 2l.sS5.293; Oklahoma, s,1O5.-
23S: Oregon. 35.S92,31S: South Dakota, 49,
25O,713; Utah, 44,205,070; Washington, 1885,
636; Wisconsin. 454,1O7; Wyoming. 49.341.-
5SS: Alaska. 1863, 600 acres. The figures
above given do not include the vacant
land embraced in military timber and In
dian reservations, reservoir sites, tracts
covered by selections, filings railroad
grants, etc.
The mining industry reached it's low
est point during the past year, but is
now on the increase. In view of the ex-
pected filing of many locations incident
to the opening up of the Upper Yukon
district the commissioner favors the
establishment of another land district
in Alaska. Noting the fact that nu-
merous mining syndicates are already
in the field, competing for title to many
individual locations made on the rich
mineral discoveries in Alaska, it is rec
commended that the law be SO amended
as to prohibit the including of more
than one lode claim or more than 16O
acres of placer ground in single appli-
cation or entry.
AT the present timber dealers yearly
sweep vast quantities of timber
from the public lands in the in
terest of speculations without pay
ing a dollar to the government,
and confagrations rage through
the public forests without government
effort to check destruction The tim
Der loss yearly from these sources, con-
servatively, runs up into the millions
of dollars. 1t is impracticable to pro-
tect and administer the forests upon
the public domain without provision
for the maintenance of full local force
to supervise the timbered lands and ex-
ecute these laws.
Among Recommendation are: For
prompt action by congress to terminate
the suspension of Arkansas land
claims; change in the course of pro-
ceedings for the adjustment of mineral
lands; modification of the law impos-
ing penalties for depreciation of public
timber, and ample appropriations for
protecting and administering existing
and prospective forest reservations.