The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-12-06
DEPARTMENT OF THE INFERIOR

UET An MENl UT InE IWcnIUn Appeals to Court In Land Cases.
 Conservation and Reclamation.
 The secretary of the interior recom- mends change of the law in respect to the procedure in adjudicating claims for lands by which appeals can be taken from the decisions of the depart ment to the court of appeals of the District of Columbia for judicial con- sideration of the rights of the claim ant. This change finds complete anal ogy in the present provision for ap- peals from the decisions of the con- missioner of patents. The judgments of the court fn such cases would be of decisive value to land claimants gen. eraliy and to the department of the in- terior in the administration of the law, would enable claimants to bring into court the final consideration of issues as to the title to government land and would, I think, obviate good deal of the subsequent litigation that now arises in CUT western courts.
 The bill is pending, believe, in the house, having been favorably reported from the committee on public lands, md recommend It's enactment.
 One of the difficulties in the interior department and in the land office has been the delays attendant upon the consideration by the land office and the secretary of the interior of claims for patents of public lands to 1ndividualS. am glad to say that under the recent appropriations of the congress and the earnest efforts of the secretary and his subordinates these arrears have been disposed of and the work of the de partment has been brought more near ly up to date in respect to the pending business than ever before in its his- tory. Economies have been effected where possible without legislative as- sistance, and these are shown in the reduced estimates for the expenses of the department during the current f1s- cal year and during the year to come.
 Conservation.
 The subject of the conservation of the public domain has commanded the attention of the people within the last two or three years.
 Agricultural Lands.
 There is DO need for radical reform in the methods of dispostng of what are really agricultural lands The present laws have worked well. The enlarged homestead law has encour- aged the successful farming of lands in the semiarid regions.
 Reclamation.
 The total sum already accumulated in the fund provided by the act for the reclamation of arid lands is about $69, ,449, ,05S.76, and of this all but &C., 241, ,05S.T8 has been allotted to the va. rious projects. of which there are thir- ty. Congress at its last session pro vided for the Issuing of certificates of indebtedness not exceeding S2O,O00, ,OOO. to be redeemed from the reclamation fund when the proceeds of lands sold and from the water rents should be sufficient.
 Meantime, in accordance with the provisions of the law. I appointed a board of army engineers to examine the projects and to ascertain which are feasible and worthy of. completion. That board has made report upon the subject which I shall transmit in a separate message within few days.
 CONSERVATION ADDRESS.
 In September last Conservation Congress was held at St. Paul, at which I delivered an address on the subject of Conservation. So far as 1t was within the Jurisdiction and pos- sible action of the Federal Govern ment. In that address I assembled from the official records the statistics and facts as to what had been done in this behalf in the administration of my predecessors, and in my own, and indicated the legislative measures which I believed to be wise in order interest. of what remains of our Na- tional domain. There was in this ad- dress a very full discussion of the reasons which led me to the conclu- sions stated. For the purpose of saving in an official record a compre- hensive resume Of the statistics and facts gathered with some difficulty in that address. and to avoid their repetition in the body of this mes- sage, I venture to make the address an accompanying appendix. The sta tistics are corrected to November 15 last.
 SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION
 For the reasons stated in the con- servat1on address, recommend: First, That the limita tion now inn posed upon the Executive which for bids him reserving more forest lands in Oregon, Washington, Idaho. Mon tana. Colorado, and Wyoming, be re- placed.
 Second, That the coal deposits of the Government be leased after ad- vertisement inviting competitive bids for terms not exceeding fifty years, with a minimum rental and royalties, upon the coal mined, to be readjust- ed every ten or twelve years, and with conditions as to Inaintenace which will secure proper mining and as to assignment which will prevent combinations to monopolize control of the coal in any one district or market. I do not think that coal measures un- der 2s00 acres of surface would be too large an amount to lease to any one lessee.
 Third, That the law should provide the same separation in respect to Government phosphate lands, of Sur- face and mineral rights that now ob- tains in coal lands, and that power to lease such lands upon terms and limitations similar to those above recommended for coal leases, with an added condition enabling the Govern ment to regulate, and if need be, to a 1nrt to