Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-02
ALL RECORDS BROKEN
Land Disposals Two Million Acres
Greater Than Last Year.
SHOULD ABOLISH ALASKA OFFICES
Commissioner Hermann So Recon-
mends in Annual Report.
OUR INsULAR POSSESSIONS

The annual report of Binger Hermann.
commissioner of the general land Office. to
the Secretary of the Interior, made public
today, Is replete with interest. 1t shows
that the amount of land disposed of dur
ing the fiscal year ended June 80, 1901, was
Is, y62, 1916 acres. increase of 2.108, 9OS. as
compared with the aggregate disposals for
the previous fiscal year. This Is the largest
number of disposals ever made in single
year since the office was established. The
cash receipts are equally astonishing,
amounting to S4,972, 100, and surprising the
hgh-water mark of the previous year by
$685., 400. 50.
Subtracting from the total cash receipts
of the fiscal year the amount expended and
contracted for in maintenance of the en-
tire land and forest administration, there
remains a net surplus in the treasury from
this source of 49, 15s. 441.67. The total acre
age of the public domain is placed at 1,SO9.-
5i9, $40 acres, apportioned thus: Unappro-
priated and unreserved, 914,096,974 acres;
reserved, IA, 356902; appropriated, 1886
964. This includes Alaska and excludes the
recent insular possessions.
Receipts and Expenditures of Alas
kan Land Offices.
Sitka office-While the receipts from Oc
tober 20, 1897, to June 3d. 1901, were &c.
467. 16 the expenditures for the same period
We're S13, 1888, an excess Of expendi-
lures over receipts of ST 1871. Rampant
office-While the receipts were only $10 the
expenditures from July 10, 1900 to June
80 1891. We're 1,249.60. St. Michael Office
With but one officer duty, the expendi-
ture from July l. 1900 to July l, 1901, We're
s., J:'.:3. with no receipts at all. Circle
ofilce-From July l, 1899, to July 1, 1900, the
expenditures were 1888 Al, with no re-
ceipts. Peavy office-The expenditures were
81, 1.3.12 from August %, 1899, to May 81.
1901, while there were no receipts. Weare
office-The expenditures were 81 ,S6S.30, with
no receipts.
With rent charges of $500 per annum at
both ST. Michael and Rampant, with wood
at SIS cord and coal at from $40 to $T5
a ton at st. Michael; with wood at $50
cord and coal too expensive for fuel at
Rampant. some idea can be obtained as to
the cost of incidentals at these Offices 1t
required $500 to furnish the Rampant office
with wood alone last winter
A recaptulation shows that while the
various offices heretofore maintained in the
valley of the Yukon and it's tributaries for
the accommodation and encouragement OF
miners have, within the short period OF
time mentioned In each case, cost 21.391.-
rs there has been but single applf-
cation filed In any of these offices, with
fee of $40. In naming these amounts the
pending claims Of the registers and re-
ceiyers have been included with the
amounts embraced in accounts which have
already been adjusted.
Should Abolish North Alaska Offices.
Not only do we find that the miners
have not awaited themselves Of the oppor-
tunities offered by the establishment and
maintenance Of these Offices" the report
continues, but an inspection of the re-
ports of the surveyor general for the dis
trict of Alaska shows that during the nine
years preceding June 80, 1901, there were
but 90 applications for surveys of mineral
claims in all of Alaska, making an aver
age of only twenty-five per year.
1.-The reasons why the mineral claim
ants have not furnished the north Alaska
land offices with more business is now read
lily apparent.
-"rhey have no need for the land office
until they seek a patent for the lands
covered by their claims. Their claims are
secure to them as long as they maintain
their possessory rights, whereas IL they ap-
Piled for a patent they would be required
to have their claims surveyed at consider
able cost, to publish notices at their own
expense. to show that they had expended
at least $500 on each claim, and finally to
make payment to the government Of IS
per acre on each lode claim and $3.50 on
each placer claim.
after carefully considering all the facts,
and estimating future probabilities, it is
believed that both the Yukon and the
Circle districts should be abolished, their
territory duQeu TO the olChd diStFtcl, anu
their offices consolidated with the Sitka
office, at least for the present, and until
such time there shall appear some real
necessity for an office in the Yukon country.
Public Domain in Insular Prosecutions.
THE report Of the commissioner Of the
interior for Porto Rico shows that there
are approximately 9S035 cuerdas equal to
S92. 11S acres of public lands in the island,
and 81 022 90 meters Of vacant lots In San
Juan. These figures may be increased or
decreased by future examinations.
1T is believed that there will be great
difficulty in the identification Of the public
lands. owing to the extremely loose and
careless manner in which they have been
alienated by the Spanish government
THE archives Of the island have been
poorly kept and were left In a disordered
condition; many expedientes or records of
cases have never been closed, and are mixed
with those already disposed Of During the
early history Of the island the governors
and captains general appear to have held
or assumed the right to make grants of
lands; grantees appropriated beyond their
original boundaries, and their successors
claim ownership.
The report of the commission appointed
January 20, 1885, to investigate affairs in
the Philippine Islands says:
1T has been impossible to obtain accu-
rate data or information with reference to
the public lands and other public property
belonging to the Spanish government as
sovereign In the archipelago. There exist
ed under the Spanish administration de-
partment known as the inspection de
montes,' which. among other duties. had
general supervision and charge of the pub
lie lands (realengos). 1t pertained to this
department to make surveys of land, run
lines of demarkation, etc. For this pur-
pose it had attached to it corps of engi-
neers Outside of the generalization of this
department little information in regard to
it or it's accomplishments was obtainable.
The records of the department had recent
ly gone through a fire, and, up to the time
of the leaving of the commission, were In
charred and hopeless confusion. The COM
mission was informed that, even If intact,
these documents would probably give Tltla
or no information as to the extent of the
public domain throughout the archipelago.
From general information gathered from
various sources. particularly from natives
acquainted with the provinces, the opinion
has been formed that the public domain in
the archipelago Is very large Some place
it as high as one-half the area of the archi-
pelago.'
Surveys In InsuInr Possessions.
Commissioner Hermann says his office is
not informed that any definite or general
system of land surveys existed in either
rorto 3joo or the PhiIiDpipes undor Cn.r