The Irish standard., 1902-11-29
SOUNDS A WARNING.
Annual Report of Secretary of the
Interior.
Points Out Necessity for the Check
ing of Illegal Occupation of Pub
lie Lands-AHairs of De.
partment Reviewed.


lie Lands-Affairs of De-
partment Reviewed.
Washington, Nov. 24.-Followinp
are extracts from the annual report
of Hon. Ethan Allen Hitchcock, secre-
tary of the interior: The past year
has been characterized by further
increase in the volume of business,
notably so in the patent office, general
land Office, geological survey, and the
secretary's office.
The Public Lands.
The necessity of protecting public
lands from unlawful grazers, despoil-
ers of forests and land monopolists,
ana the encouragement and fostering
OF lrrlga ton that they may lie made
more productive, form the principal
part of the report on the public do
main. The secretary praises the
presidents efforts in behalf of irriga.
ton and argues that when land
ceases to be public it should become
the property of those most deserving
of its use, and be given to them IN
the most productive condition. The
rapid curtailment of the public do
main, the increase of population, the
tendency in the far western sections
of corporations and individuals to
seize and hold, in violation of law, the
areas which are the common prop
erty of all, causes him to sound Il
warning to the country.
The total cash receipts during the
fiscal year from various sources, in
GLIDING disposal of public land, $780,
Oss.65; Indian land, $2ss, 6666S; from
depredations on public lands, $41 ,415.97;
from sales of timber on forest reserves.
$27,47s.7o; from sales of government
property, $1,O14.45, and for furnishing
copies of records and plats, $23,262.73;
aggregate, $6,261, 9271s, an increase of
$1,2s9,766.39 over the preceding fiscal
year.
The total area Of the public lands
may be stated to be proximately 1,sOe.-
539, $40 acres, of which 1913 .955, 476 acres
are undisposed of, ISL, 161 ,63s acres have
been reserved for various purposes, and
764, 422,726 acres have been appro-
priated.
Indian Affairs.
The total Indian population of the
United States is approximately $780,
3o6, of which the New York Indians
and those known as the Five Civilized
Tribes embrace s9,732, leaving 1854
occupying 1856 reservations, having
5,127,000 acres, outside of New York
and the Indian Territory.
The general condition of the Indians
has been fairly satisfactory during the
year; no serious trouble has occurred.
Progress toward civilization has been
marked, more Indians having engaged
in civilized pursuits and in efforts at
self-support than ever before.
Pensions.
The report of the commissioner of
pensions shows that the total num-
Der OF pensioners on the roll during
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1902, was
1,O41,6s7, and the number remaining
on the roll at the close of the year
was 999.446, net gain over the previ-
Gus year of 1,711, and exceeding in
number of pensioners any former
year.
The annual value of the pension roll
(the amount required annually to pay
the regular pension certificates out
standing at the close of the fiscal year)
was $132, 1880. The average annual
value of each pension was $132.23, a
year.
Education.
The commissioner of education in
his annual statement presents some
interesting data and statistics of ed
ucation in the United States. The
total number of pupils in schools,
elementary, secondary and higher,
public and private, during the year
ended June 80, 1901, was 1925, $50.
an increase of 27s,520 over the pre-
vious year.
The value OF properly useu Tor pub
lie school purposes for the scholastic
year 1901 has arisen to $576,963 ,os9
from $13O,3so,Oos in 1870, and the ex-
penditures for the common schools
(including elementary and second
ary schools, but excluding all insti-
buttons for higher education amount
ed to $226,O43,236, as against $685.
396.666 in 1870.
Patents and Census.
The volume of work in the patent
commissioners offices is shown to be
greater than ever before, the total
number of applications filed having
for the first time exceeded $4,000 in
q year. The increase in the work of
the census bureau, which in 1910, told
of its findings in $40 pages, but which
now requires 10000 pages to set forth
the results of the 1900 enumeration,
is dwelt upon, and then the progress
of the various territories is detailed.