The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1897-10-30
LAND OFFICE REPORT.
commissioner Hermann Reviews
the Work Done by His De-
partment.

| Washington, ID. c., Oct. 26-COmmiS-
! >ioner of the general land office, Bingcr
| Hermann, has submitted his annual report
10 the secretary of the interior. Com
| pared with the previous year. it shows Il
| decrease of 32gS original homestead en-
| tries, aggregating 37S.025 acres. In the
entire diSposals of public land there was
falling off of o.:16.i0ti acres. The
areas sold for cash reached i19.oI2 acres
and miscellaneous entries aggregated
.334 ,Do4 acres. The receipts from dis
| posal OF public lands amounted to S1,596.
$50: and from disposal of Indian lands
S43S,I16. There were 320S1 agriculture
al patents issued, approximating J.133,
90 acres. There We're patented or certl-
he'd with the effect of patcntlng for the
| bentht of railroad companies under con-
grcSsi0nal grants. 5.lN1 1863 acres. 4 de
crease of over 10,0UD,UO0 acres from the
| previous year.
Lists of lands selected by the several
states and territories under the grant for
| educational purposes aggregated I39.1lI
acres At the close of the year there were
pending railroad selections embracing
II, ,436, SO9 acres.
Acreage Now Vacant.
An approximate estimate of the num-
Der of acres of vacant public lands in the
several states and territories ut the close
of the fiscal year is aS follow:
Alabama. 80, $50; Arizona, d, 40o;2ll; Ar
kansas. 3,S22. .O42: California. 43,S41, ,n44;
Colorado. 4o,Hi1,2oi; Florida. 1.I9I .662;
Idaho, 45.962 so; Kansas 1.ot6.3S9; Louis
"a ;6 s9 Sto-0 MichEan' I o N'TrsS119
i2l, I64; Montana Il. 432.917; Nebraska. 10
G6H.3.Hi; Nevada, 6l,5IS.5s6: New Mexico.
'd,"S3o41: North Dakota, u ~, ,2!ci; Okla
h"ma S.1u5.2:sS; oregon, -. Sg2. .:;lN; South
Dakota, l3.25D. us: Utah. 4i.2u1.uIu; Wash
ington, lI.35s, ,536; Wisconsin, 43il0I; Wy
omng, 49,3il,5Ss; Alaska, 362.o2a.5p" acres
The figures above given do not include
the vacant land embraced in military.
timber and Indian reservations. reservoir
sites. tracts covered by selections, filings,
railroad grants, etc.
Touching the famous Benson surveys
in California. Commissioner Hermann
says SIX surveying parties under Mr..
RcnSon'S direction alc now in the field
correcting the surveys under the recent
agreement
The report calls attention to the neccS-
sity for some further legislative enact
mcnt, either original or amCndatOry of
the Gary act, which should tend to make
more secure the capital invested IN the
reclamation of the arid lands. Owing to
the recent financial depression, especially
felt in the arid land states. but comoar-
atIyCly little advancement has been made
toward reclamation, but now, the report
says. with tn" revival OF industries gen
orally and the more ready supply Of
money for investment purposes. ther"
also has been revival of the former i'll
tcrcst III this subject.
Another Land Office for Alaska.
The mining industry reaches its lowest
point during the past year. but Il now on
the increase. In view of the expected
filing of many locations incident to the
opening up of the upper Yukon district,
the commissioner faYorS the establish
Z # nd iii trI, in In
Noting the fact that numerous mining
syndicatcS are already in the field com
pcting for tide to the many individual
locations made on the rich mineral dis
covcrics i'll Alaska, it is recommended
that the law be SO amended as to pro-
hihit the including of more than one lode
claim or more than 100 acres of placer
ground in Il single application or entry.
There were $40 cases of deprcdations
on public timber r"ported involving Il
value of SiiSbthi1 recoverable to the gov
crnmcut. Nearly 800 permits have been
issued to cut public timber since the pas
sage Of the permit law. with an eSti-
mated amount of timber thus allowed to
be cut of 3oo.oOO.HD feet. Commi> sion
er Hermann says:
Large corporations and companies have So
cured permits at different times to cut many
millions Of feet. notably th. Big Blarkfout
company. ana Anaconda Mining company
all o. Montana. Since my induction ! have
refused to allow any license to exceed one
quarter section.
At til" present timber dealers yearly sweep
vast quantities of timber from thi. public
lands in the interests Of SpoculatiouS with
out paying Il dollar to the government and
cOnilagratiOnS rage through the public for
eStS without government effort TO check de
Struction. The timber loss yearly from
these sources. conservativcly runs up into
the millions Of dollars 1t iS impracticahlc
to protect and administer the forests upon
the public domain without provision for the
maintenance of a full local force 10 super
wise the timbercd lands ana execute these
laws.
Among the recommendations are for
prompt action by Congress to terminate
the suspension Of Arkansas land claims;
a change i'll the course of proceedings for
the adjustment of mineral lands; moditi-
cation of the law imposing penalties for
dcpredations on public timber; and ample
appropriations for protecting and admin
Stcring existing and prospective forest