The Washington herald., 1906-10-29
HOPES FOR ALASKA FARMING
Commissioner Richards Says Land
Will Be Self-sustaining.
Cites Agricultural Success in ireland
Annual Report TO Hitchcock.

Basing his hypothesis or the fact that
from time inmemoriaI there has been
farming in both Iceland and Greenland,
Land Commissioner ". a. Richards. in
his report TO Secretary Hitchcock. made
public to-day. confidently expects Alaska
will In time sustain a large population by
the products from its own soil
He says, however. that the native inhab-
itants may DC supposed. from the ex-
perience Of many aborigines elsewhere. 30
be IN danger Of gradual or rapid dimuni-
ton Of population. The government has
cared for them IN a manner different than
in the cases OF other Indian tribes They
ara not kept apart 81 agencies, but are
permitted, where they own huts or homes,
to remain where they are, and 10 surveys
are approved which appear 10 infringe
on the habltatons of living or deceased
Alaskans" The Russian Greek clergy.
the report ssys, are content 10 receive the
titles to ver-Y small tracts.
The repOrt shows that the total receipts
for the year ended June 81 were S7.5S5.-
5S59a. an increase over the previous year
Of t567. 71252 The total amount OF land
disposed of was l9 431. .IS7.47 acres. an in
crease Of 2374. $50 % acres over the preced-
ing year. and there we're 81. .Ssi patents is
sued During the same period there were
80. Il3 final and original entries and selec-
IiOTs made at the various local land Of
tiCeS. IN increase OF 3l,l87 over the year
previous.
of the ceded Indian lands, the Crow
Reservation in Iontana seems to have
been the most popular, and during the
year 1893 people registered as applicants
for these lands. On November ], $50 acres
IN the Fort Elliott abandoned military
reservation. In Wheeler County. Tex. Will
be offered for public sale, and on NOvem-
he a. 1929 acres in the Fort Dodge
abandoned military reservation will be
sold IT public auction IN the land Office
in Dodge City, KanS.
During the past year. the cost Of Logging
in the Chippewa Reservation has been de-
creased from less tuan 81 per cent Of the
value OF the timber, TO less than , Is per
cent Of the value.
The areas covered by the surveys. cover
ing fften States, accepted by the Office for
the year. amounted to $685. acres, cost
ing. approximately, SSo0o00. The routine
work OF the Office in this line turned out
30 plats and diagrams, and 2.2O0 pages Of
transcript field notes. also 7oS mineral
plais. showing 2021 locations. in connec-
iion with 800 pages Of typewriting.
The san Francisco fire was responsible
for the destruction of all the field notes In
possession OF the Office there, bat they
had been fled In transcript in the General
Office. so that while the work in that dis
trict. which is being reSurveyed. has been
delayed. Il win be possible to secure
enough data that the work of the former
survey will not be completely lost
The Commissioner recommends the pas
sage Of legislation which viii authorize
the President to establish national parks.
and says that while requested legislation
covering the establishment of the pro-
posed petrifed forest national park IN Ari-
IONA has not been passed. il is possible to
preserve those natural wonders under the
act of June S, 1896 for the preservation Of
american ANTIQUITIES.