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E.-Statement showing condition of appointments made for the survey of mineral lands in Montana, under acts of Congress, during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

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F.-Statement showing the description of land for which township plats and descriptive lists have been furnished the Helena and Bozeman land offices during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877. HELENA LAND OFFICE, HELENA, MONTANA.

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F.-Statement showing the description of land, &c.—Continued.
BOZEMAN LAND OFFICE, BOZEMAN, MONTANA.

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G.-Statement showing the condition of the appropriation for the clerks in the office of the surveyor general of Montana for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

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To Andrew J. Smith, first
quarter...

H.-Statement showing the condition of the appropriation for the salary of the surveyor general for Montana for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

DR.

1876. Sept. 30

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Dec. 31

To Andrew J. Smith, second
quarter.

750 00

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I.-Statement showing condition of appropriations for incidental expenses for office of surveyor general for Montana for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

DR.

1876.

Sept. 30

CR.

$1,500 00

400 00

To Fisk Brothers, printing...

30

To Masters & Stone, printing

$40 00
77 84

30

To C. K. Wells, stationery

31 95

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30

To K. M. Smith, rent..

225 00

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J.-Statement showing the special deposits by individuals for the survey of public land, other than mineral, in Montana Territory, during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

1,900 00

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K.-Statement showing the number of plats made in the United States surveyor general's office for Montana for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877.

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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.

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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.

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

year ending June 30, 1879.

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For surveying mountain timber land, 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

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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.

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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

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