The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-23
PROVES WISDOM
OF MORRIS LAW
Annual Report Of Commissioner Of
General Land Office Made
FL. - r. Public. ...s
BY w. w. Jermane.


graph in the annual report of the com
missioner Of the general landoffce
shows that congress was wise in pass
ing the Morris law, providing for the
sale of Chippewa timber by bank scale
instead OF on estimate. 1t says that
Logging operations 1o rat o. have, except as to
completed on the pine lands on fifteen
Of the school sections in the Red Lake
and White Earth reservations, embra-
cling 6,9l2 acres, the timber on which
was sold at Crookston March 2, 1908.
The scalers' reports show that 49,
495,587 feet were cut. All but one of
these sections were examined by differ
ent corps Of estimators in 1898, 1894
only l0,l51,0 900 feet thereon, or about
So per cent Of the amount of timber
actually on the land. go, .
Timber on nine other sections was
cut clean during the last season, and
the price realized was $l09,S47, or an
average Of $11.74 an acre. The two
December last involved 415,OOO, 900 feet
of timber, realized $2,650,9O3, or an
average of $6.3S per 1000 feet. Twen-
ty per cent OF the amount named has
been paid to the government.
p Lands Classified. -..#
commissioner Richards says that the
examination Of lands in the former
in March last. Of the total lands ex-
amiined, $500 acres were classed as
Spine,' and the estimates Indicated
that there are 172 ,445,OOO feet Of mer-
charitable pine timber thereon. All the
lands in the different Chippewa res
ervations classed by the examiners as
Agricultural have been opened to
SntfIa1nant nnfTv av0nnf VI
township in the Red Lake reservation,
the surveys of which have not been
accepted, and except lands in the Fond
du Lac and Leech Lake reservations,
| which, under section S of the Morris
act, cannot be opened until the allot-
! ments to the Indians have been COM
pleted.
The timber on all the lands classed
as s'pine' has been sold or advertised
for sale, except the timber on lands
reserved for the purpose of allowing
the forester of the department. Of agri-
culture to complete the selections for
forestry purposes under the Morris act
This selection on his part will be nee.
ton Of Indian allotments and also un.
til the fowage lines, caused by the
construction of dams at the headwaters
of the Mississippi, have been definitely
determined.
Commissioner Richards tells in de
tail of the opening of the Red Lake
reservation in South Dakota and the
Devils Lake reservation in North Da
kota. In the Red Lake reservation
l4l,l3 acres remained unsold at the
conclusion Of the Offering in October
The six months time limit for making
entries on the Rosebud and Devils Lake
reservations has not yet expired, 81
| Sc 10 I,
er these openings were a complete sue
cess. ~
| Surveys Nearly Completed.
The near completion of the survey:
Of all the land in Minnesota is indi
Gated in the report. A large area OF
Indian land and two full and two frac
tional townships in the state were sur
veyed during the last fiscal year, anl
it is said that the work Of finishing
up the surveys is being pushed forward
as rapidly as the appropriation and thu
force In the surveyor general g office
will permit.
AS to North Dakota, the surveyo
general reports that there remains bu
a very small part of the public land
to be surveyed, and he recommends tina
these lands, as well as the unsurveyet
lands in Standing Rock and Fort Der
thold reservations be surveyed, which
will complete all the surveys in tina
state. In South Dakota surveying OF
erations last year were confined to wor]
upon Indian reservations and minera
!. claims.
} The commissioner says that the MAJ
of Minnesota now in use has been re
vised and partly recompiled, and j
nearly ready for final tracing. It vii
), be some months, however, Before tn
new map is ready for distribution.
Statement of Business.
The report contains the followin
statement of the business of the var
Gus landoffees in Minnesota and th
Dakotas: