The Bozeman courier., 1925-03-25
BULLARD'S OFFICE
TO BE ABOLISHED
Supervisor of Surveys VIII Take
Over Work of u. S. Sur
veyOr General


Helena.-Appropriation cuts in the
house of representatives during the
last session of congress are response
bic for the abolishment of the office
of surveyor general. Official notice
Of this was received Friday morning
by Gilman Bullard, surveyor general
for Montana under three presidents.
The order is effective July 1, 1926.
It provides that the records of the
office, equipment and necessary per-
sonnel shall be consolidated with the
office cf supervisor of surveys, which
under local conditions, means the Of
flee of J. Scott Harrison, assistant
supervisor of surveys.
The surveyor generals office has
a personnel Of nine persons including
the administrative office. None of
these men has been in the service
less than IS years, Mr.. Bullard hav-
ing been in its service for 80 consecu-
tive years, John H. Hibbard, chief
mineral clerk, AZ years, and Forrest
j. Smith, chief clerk, 35 years.
Created in 1867
The office was created March 2,
1867, for the Montana territory. It's
functions are the disbursement of ap-
preparations made by congress, the
drafting of the surveys of the public
lands in the state and the drafting Of
the .plats from which patents on land
are issued.
Just how much of the personnel of
the surveyor generals office will be
absorbed by the consolidation, neither
Mr.. Harrison nor Mr.. Bullard were
prepared to say Friday. The details
of the consolidation are understood
to be under the direction of the super
visor Of surveys with headquarters at
Washington, D. c.
Mr.. Bullard has record in the sur
veyor generals office which likely
cannot be paralleled by any other sur
veyor's office in the United States.
He is perhaps the only surveyor gen.
eral who holds the administrative po-
sition having had the TECHNICAL train
ing acquired by starting at the bot
tom in civil service.
Under Three Presidents
A native of Montana, born in 1873
and living in the same house, 300
Broadway, in which he was born, Mr..
Bullard had been in the service even
before he began his thirty-second year.
He was first appointed to his admin
istrative position by President Wilson
in 1920, re-appointed by President
Harding in 1928 and again in 1923
by President Coolidge. He was made
examiner of notes and plats in 1908.
The assistant supervisors work
heretofore has been the field work
Of surveying public lands. Mr.. Har-
rison has been in the civil service 80
years, Is of which has been in his
present position.
AAAC az peooCu pei AldAAAilt@ W bAAN
surveyor generals office is in house
resolution 1O,O2O and is an act max
ing appropriations for the department
Of the interior for the fiscal year end.
ing June so, 1926
The Order
That part which applies to this par
ticular office is as follows:
The office Of surveyor general /!
hereby abolished, effective July
1925, and the administration of al
activities heretofore in charge of sur
veyors general, including the neces
sary personnel, all records, furniture
and other equipment, and all supple
of their respective offices, are hereb,
transferred to and consolidated wit
the field surveying service, under tn
jurisdiction of the United States su
pervisor of surveys, who shall here
after administer same in associatio
with the surveying operations in hi
charge and under such regulations a
the secretary of the interior may Pre-
vide"