L.-Statement showing the number of acres of public land surveyed in Montana Territory since the inception of surveys to June 30, 1877.

Number of acres surveyed to June 30, 1875
Number of acres surveyed during fiscal year ending June 30, 1877...
Number of acres surveyed (mineral land) on unsurveyed land, June 30,
1877.....

Total number of acres surveyed to June 30, 1877..

Acres.

8,854, 741.74

790, 359.42

1, 165. 35

9,646, 266, 51

ANDREW J. SMITH,
Surveyor General, Montana.

M.-Statement showing the number of linear miles run, the rate per mile, and the total cost of surveys, in the Territory of Montana during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

N.-Statement giving names, nativity, &c., of the surveyor general and employés in his office at Helena, Mont., during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

O.-Estimate for surveying services and office expenses in the district of Montana, for the fiscal

year ending June 30, 1879.

For surveying mountain timber laud, at rates not exceeding $20 for standard, $18 for township, and $15 for section lines

$750

4,500

1,500

12,960

54,000

3,000

30,000

SIR: In compliance with your instructions, I have the honor to submit my annual report, in duplicate, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877, together with the usual tabular statements relating thereto.

A.-Estimate of expenses incidental to the survey of public lands in Idaho for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1879.

B.-Statement of expenditure of appropriation for compensation of surveyor general and clerks in his office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

C.-Statement of incidental and office expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30,

1877.

D.-Statement of expenditure of appropriation for surveys for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

E.-Statement of original maps and copies transmitted to the General Land Office and to the district office since my last report.

F.-Statement showing the condition of contracts entered into since June 30, 1876.
G.-Statement of descriptive-list sent to local land office since the date of my last re-

port.

H.-Tabular list of townships surveyed since the date of my last report, showing the areas of the public lands.

I.-Statement of applications for the survey of mineral lands and mill sites for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

J.-Statement of amount deposited with United States Assistant Treasurer for office work for mineral claims in Idaho for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

K.-Names, nativity, &c., of surveyor general, clerks, &c., for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

Owing to the late date this office received instructions as to the appropriations for the fiscal year just closed, it was impossible for the deputies to make their surveys last fall, and they are just closing the work that should have been done last summer, had the appropriations been made available earlier. And, in this connection, again, let me call your attention to the fact that surveys made in the early part of the season are more lasting and can be done at less expense to the deputy than those made in the fall; hence, it is economy to both the government and the deputy to make the appropriations available as early in the season as possible. I again call your attention to some portions of my last report, for our friends in the Eastern States do not fully appreciate the importance of the suggestions made, and they openly say that our "sagebrush lands" are worthless and that they should not be surveyed. This, taken in general terms, is a great mistake. There are portions of the " sage brush lands" that are rocky and high and only suited to grazing purposes, and in this surveying district these sections have uniformly been omitted in making the surveys, so far as it was possible to do. On the other hand, there are immense Tracts of " sage brush land" that only await irrigating canals to make them as productive as most lands in the Western States, yielding their forty bushels of wheat per acre, as our people have often demonstrated by actual experiment.

It is an arrant humbug to talk of keeping these lands for the actual settler under the homestead and pre-emption laws, and in my judgment the safest way would be to dispose of the lands in large tracts, that would warrant the owners in constructing

large canals or irrigating ditches, or allowing companies to be formed, granting thein all the land they irrigated or covered by their canals at a small price per acre, not above the price now fixed by law for pre-emption claims; and I am fully persuaded that the most intelligent persons who are acquainted with the productiveness of the "sage brush lands" would indorse these suggestions. These canals would cost the expenditure of large sums of money that no man could afford to make for isolated

farms.

Your especial attention is called to the timber lands, and I most respectfully urge the necessity of some law by Congress for their disposal. There are large tracts of mountainous districts valuable only for minerals and timber. The disposal of the former has been provided for, but not so with the latter.

The timber regions, as a rule, are not suitable for settlement under the homestead and pre-emption laws, and the laws should be so modified as to place them upon the market, say in small tracts of eighty or one hundred and sixty acres, to any person wishing to purchase. If these timber lands were in the bands of a large number of persons, the general interest would be to prevent destructive fires and the fearful waste and destruction of timber now going on, the government would realize the value of the lands, and the Territory would be greatly benefited.

Until some changes are made in the land laws, providing for the sale of these table lands in unlimited quantities, they will remain unoccupied for all time, or until Congress shall adopt this or some similar plan.

The desert land bill only covers the case in part and then by evading its spirit, for the money to make the canals under the law has to be furnished by capitalists, and the men filing under the desert land laws are doing it for others. Why not make the law so that men can openly and squarely buy all the land they want, and without any restrictions? They, of course, will see to it that canals are built to irrigate and make it available for sale to settlers. It might be well to limit the time of these sales until three years after the survey shall have been made, thus retaining the land three years for the preference of actual settlers under the pre-emption and homestead laws, and this is certainly long enough to keep millions of acres of land idle waiting for some one without a dollar to come and "settle."

I have no patience with the present policy of retaining millions of acres for pre-emption and homestead claimants, when from the situation of these lands they never can be made available by bona fide settlers under existing laws. Let the lands be sold, and let these Western Territories improve and settle up. Under existing laws only lands that can be irrigated by a few weeks' work in digging a small ditch will be located, while thousands of acres must and will lie idle until the laws are changed.

It will be seen from our tables that the office work is up to date, and that all expenses have been kept within the appropriations, and in some instances quite a balance in our favor. No part of the amount deposited for clerk hire has been used, the work having been done by the regular clerks. The appropriation for clerk hire at the last session of Congress is not sufficient, should the appropriation for surveys be as large as the prospective requirement demands.

There are large tracts of excellent lands in the eastern portion of the Territory that, from present indications, will be settled as soon as surveyed, and thousands of acres would be sold at once if the land laws should be changed as suggested.

The present rates of surveying are insufficient for surveying, and they should be fixed at about the rates submitted in my estimates.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Hon. J. A. WILLIAMSON,

Commissioner General Land Office.

L. F. CARTÉE, Surveyor General of Idaho.

A.-Estimate of expenses incidental of the survey of the public lands in Idaho for the fiscal

For salary of surveyor general.

year ending June 30, 1879.

OFFICE EXPENSES.

$3,000 00

For salary of clerks

4,000 00

For rent of office, messenger, fuel, books, and other expenses.

2,000 00

$9,000 00

SURVEYING SERVICE.

For surveying 100 miles standard lines, timber and mountains, at $15

1,500 00

For surveying 100 miles standard lines, at $13

1,300 00

For surveying 72 miles exterior lines, timber and mountains,

at $15

1,080 00

For surveying 600 miles subdivision lines, timber and mountaius, at $12...

$7,200 00

For surveying 480 miles exterior lines, 40 townships, at $12.. For surveying 1,800 miles subdivision lines, 30 townships, at $10...

5,760 00

B.-Statement of expenditure of appropriation for compensation of surveyor general and clerks for his office, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

C.-Statement of incidental and office expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

D.-Statement of the expenditure of the appropriation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

E.-Statement of original maps and copies transmitted to the General Land Office and to the

district office since my last report.

Remarks.

D.-Statement showing condition of the public surveys contracted for by the surveyor general for Montana Territory, under appropriation by Congress, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

meridian, through township 6 south; the first standard
south, through ranges 14 and 16 west; the exterior and
subdivision lines of townships 1, 2, and 3 south. range
16 west; townships 5 and 6 south, ranges 14 and 15 west;
township 12 south, range 8 west; township 12 south,
range 7 west, and township 13 south, range 6 west, were
not run. The Red Rock guide meridian, through town-
ship 14 south, and township 12 south, range 10 west;
township 13 south, range 9 west, and township 14 south,
ranges 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 west, were substituted under
special instructions. Completed and returned.

ANDREW J. SMITH,

Surveyor General, Montana.