Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-12-07

claim with three years and other
causes, was 43, 1S6, and the number of
claims dsallowed WAS I01.9l9. During
the year 5000 pension certificates
were issued, Of which 37,0T7 were for
now OF original pensions. The amount
disbursed for army and navy pensions
during the year was $l38, 35,. 032. 50
which was 81, Col, 46l. 81 less than the
sum of appropriations.
The Grand Army of the Republic at
its recent national encampment held in
Philadelphia has brought to my atten-
tion and TO that of the Congress tn
wisdom and justice Of "a modification of
tho third section of the act of June
18th, 1890, which provides pensions for
the widows of officers and enlisted men
who served so days or more during the
War of the Rebellion and were honor
ably discharged, provided that such
widows are without other means of sup
port than their daily labor and weie
married to the soldier, sailor or marine
on account of whose services they
claim pension prior to the date of tho
act.
The present holding of the department
is that if the widow s income aside from
her daily labor does not exceed IN
amount what her pension would be, &c
wit, 500 per annum, she would be
deemed to be without other means of
support than her daily labor, and would
be entitled TO a pension under this act;
while if the Widows income independent
OF the amount received by her as the
result of her daily labor exceeds 500,
she would not be pensionsble under the
act. | am advised by the Commissioners
of Pensions that the amount of the in
Al
should be barred has varied widely
under different administrations of the
pension office, as we'll as during differ.
emit periods of the same administration,
and has been the cause of Just COM
plant and criticism.
With the approval of the Secretary of
the Interior the Commissioner of PEN
sions recommends that, III order to make
the practice at all times uniform and
to do Justice to the dependent widow, :
the amount of income allowed indepen-
dent of the proceeds of her daily labor
should be not less than $3.50 per annum,
and he urges that the Congress shall SO
amend the act as to permit the pension
officer to grant pensionable status to
widows under the terms of the third
section of the act of June 9th, 1890,
whose income aside from the proceeds
of daily labor ls not in excess of $3.50
per annum. believe this to he SIM
pie act of Justice and heartily recon-
mend it.
Ths Dawes Commission reports that
gratifying progress has been made in
its work during the preceding year.
The field work of enrolment of four of
the nations has been completed. /
recommend that Congress at an early
Il 10 ltharal n nj rim For obi,
cational purposes in the Indian Terri
tory.
In accordance with the act of CON-
gress approved March Sd, 1899, the pre-
liminary work in connection with.the
twelfth census in now fully under way.
The officers required for the proper adj
ministration of the duties imposed
have been selected. The provision for
securing a proper enumeration of the
population, as we'll as to secure evidence
of the industrial growth of the nation,
is broader and more comprehensive than
any similar legislation In the past. Tho
director advises that every needfui
effort is being made to push this great
work to completion in the time limited
by the statute. 1t is believed that the
twelfth census will emphasize our re-
MAJ kable advance in all that pertains
to national progress.
Under the auJnoilty of the act of
Congress- approved July 7th, 1896, tho
commission consisting of the Secretary
of the Treasury, the Attorney General,
and the Secretary of the Interior has
made an agreement of settlement, which
has had my approval, of the indebted
ness to the government growing out Of.
the issue of bonds to aid in the COZ
struction of the Central Pacific and
Western Pacific railroads. The agree
ment secures to the government the.
principal and interest of secured bonds
amounting to S5S, Sl2, T15. AS. There
has been paid thereon S11, 1852, 545. II.
which has been covered in to the Urea
sury, and the remainder, payable with
in len years, with interest at the rate
CT Fer cent per annum, payable semi
annually, is secured by the deposit of
an equal amount of first mortgage
bonds of the Pacific Railway companies.
The amounts paid and secured to be
paid to the government on account of
the Pacific railroad subsidy claims are:
Union Pacific, cash. ........S 5S, AS. 223. 10
Kansas Pacific, cash. 1890. 6,3U3.O OO.OO
Central and Western Pacific,
| cash ii, 79S, 3l4.l4
Notes secured, ................ 47,05O, 72.36
| Kansas Pacific-dividends for
deficiency due United States,
cash. .................... sai, 1910
Making total of. .Sl24, 42l co., 80
The whole indebtedness was about
| $3.50, 900, 600, more than half of which
consisted Of accrued interest for which
sum the government has realized the
entire amount less about SG,000,O COO
within period OF two years.
On June Both, 1893, there were 80
forest reservations exclusive of the
Afognak forest and fish culture reserve
in Alaska), embracing an estimated
area of 40, 7l9, 474 acres. During the
past year two of the existing forest
reserves, the Trabuco Canyon Cali
formal and Black Hills (South Dakota
and Wyoming) have been considerably
| enlarged, the area Of the Mount
Rainier Reserve, in the State of Wash
ington, has been somewhat reduced,
and six additional reserves have been
established, namely, the San Francisco
Mountains (Arizona), the Black Mesa
tArizona), Lake Tahoe California;,
Gallatin, (Montana), Gila River, New
Mexico, and Fish Lake, (Utah), the
total estimated area of which is 8, 205,-
775 acres. This makes at the present
time a total of SO forest reservations,
embracing an estimated area Of
As, 021, 500 acres. This estimated area
is the aggregated areas within the
boundaries of the reserves. The lands
actually reserved are, however, only
the vacant public lands therein, and
these have been set aside and reserved