Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-12-10
| n D | A n SHOULD
Be A F R t NJ A n
REPORTS SEC. LANE

structive policy for the Indian by which
he may be transformed from ward Of
the government to n successful and In
tegral part of the American citizcnry; a
discussion Of the development of the
West; and n review of the achievements
of the last year, are contained In the
annual report OF Secretary Franklin X.
Lane of the interior department, sent
to-day to President Wilson.
Three thin. a." says Secretary Lane.
"of unusual purport have marked the
life of this department during the past
vear-the passing OF the Cherokee nation,
the opening of Ala ska. and the advance
ment of n series of measures aimed to
promote the further development Of the
West
Secretary Lane discusses the Indian
problem at length and asks whether it
Is for the benefit OF the Indian himself
that the present "almshouse policy"
should continue.
The W. cut is gradually and wisely
to put the Indian out. Our goal Is the
free Indian. The orphan-asylum idea
must be killed in the mind of Indian
and white man. The Indian should know
that he Is upon the road TO enjoy or SUI
fer full capacity He Is to have his op-
portunlty az a 'forward-looking man 1"
Secretary Lane points out the accom-
plishments OF the several bureaus of the
interior depa rtmeut during the last year
Some Of the typical and important
achievements he instances follow:
General land office Reduced the delay
in acting upon homestead final proofs
by - per cent. surveyed more than H.
10000 acres of public lands at cost OF
less than four cents An acre. the lowest
record OF cost for such work ever made
Geological survey: Completed detailed
geological surveys covering 12,rO square
miles. including $50 square miles in
Alaska the total area surveyed geolOgi-
| cally being a great as the combined area
OF Denmark. Switzerland and Greece;
classified 100000 acres Of public lands,
an area larger than the New England
States made an annual census OF MIN
eral production through correspondence
with about 10000 mineral producers.
/ Bureau of pensions: Returned to the
treasury t165S,512 Of the amount appro-
priated by Congress; reduced the total Of
expenditures for pensions from N7t,171 $50
in the preceding year to Sl72.4l7,5is: saved
TO pensioners about million dollars
formerly spent for the execution of
vouchers. by abollshing the voucher sys-
TEN OF paying pensions.
| Reclamation service: Stored enough
water in it's various reservoirs to make a
| lake 30 miles long, Is miles wide and 10
feet deep: diverted 4OOo,ODo acre-feet of
water Ga stream equal in volume to the
Hudson river where the Mohawk enters
I ;.N e /,
farms, an area equal to that of Rhode
Island These farms provided homes and
occupation for 81 253 people and produced
crops valued at $3.50 mo. or about sS per
acre; began and completed 49, miles If
! irrigation canals, l15 miles OF drainage
and waste-water bitches. 50 miles of irri-
cation and drainage pipe line, laid in dams
and other irrigation works enough con-
crete to build more than 1000 miles of city
sidewalks. six feet wide and three inches
deep. manufactured 900 barrels of sand
cement; constructed three miles of bikes
and u miles of railroads. II miles of cleo
tric-tran sm!ssion lines, 45 miles of tele-
phone lines, IS miles OF wagon roads and
40 buildings; maintained and operated
7,130 miles of irrigation canals. which.
II in one continuous canal. would reach in
an air line from Palm Beach. Fla. to
| Fairbanks, Alaska, and back again: 5tS
miles of drainage and waste-water
bitches. 10 miles of standard guage rail-
road 3I4 miles Of electric transmission
lines; 21SO miles OF telephone lines and 733
miles of wagon roads.
| Patent Office: Enabled the applicant 10
secure patent in two-thirds OF the time
that formerly was necessary. increas ed
the surplus receipts of the office for tho
fiscal year from sl5S oSO in 1913 to s24os5
in 1914