patented. Owing to the greater efficiency in field work since the contract system was superseded by the salaried or direct system, returns are accumulating in this office more rapidly than can be passed upon by the limited force of experts available. The arrears at present are nearly six months. The privilege of transfer as recommended would give such elasticity and balance to the field and office forces, as to enable this office to handle the work as rapidly as it comes in, thereby avoiding delays in opening the lands for entry.

It is also recommended that the proviso permitting a portion of the survey fund to be used, in case of necessity, for office work in the surveyor general's office upon returns of surveys, be continued in order to prevent congestion and delay.

STATE BOUNDARIES.

The following State boundaries should be retraced and re-marked with durable monuments at mile corners, and proper closings of the public-land lines made thereon:

Oregon-California.

Nevada-California (oblique portion).
Colorado-New Mexico.

In the case of the last-named boundary, an attempt was made by Congress several years ago to enact into law a recognition of the most recently surveyed Government line (the Carpenter line authorized by Congress in 1902), but the President refused his sanction, and suggested a reference of the question to the United States Supreme Court for settlement. There has been no effort on the part of the two States most interested to institute proceedings whereby the said tribunal can render a decision, and it is requested that Congress pass such measures as will bring the matter to a conclusion, SO that proper conveyances can be made of public lands affected by the location of this boundary.

SURVEYS IN ALASKA.

COAL-LAND SURVEYS.

In my last annual report I outlined my plans for and gave an account of the progress made up to the close of the fiscal year in carrying out the purposes of the act approved October 20, 1914 (38 Stat., 741), entitled "An act to provide for the leasing of coal lands in the Territory of Alaska," whereby Congress appropriated $100,000 for the survey, under the rules and regulations governing the survey of public lands, of areas in the Territory of Alaska known to be valuable for their deposits of coal, directing that preference be given first in favor of surveying those areas commonly known as the Bering River, Matanuska, and Nenana coal

fields. These plans as originally formulated, and which contemplated the extension of the rectangular surveys under the three existing principal meridians and base lines in Alaska, the making of a topographic map in conjunction with the public-land survey, and the completion of the survey of all three fields in one field season were carried out without deviation therefrom in a most efficient manner. The survey of the Matanuska field, which included parts of 13 townships under the Seward base and meridian, was completed September 6, 1915, and the field parties transferred to agricultural land surveys in the same locality until the close of the surveying season. The survey of the Nenana field, which included parts of 10 townships under the Fairbanks base and meridian, was finished September 19. Four of the parties were disbanded while two remained in the vicinity for a few weeks on town-site surveys. The Bering River field, under the Copper River base and meridian, was completed and the parties disbanded October 3. Its survey covered parts of eight townships.

Coal-mining engineers with the Matanuska and Bering River parties completed the field work of forming coal-leasing units of the legal subdivisions in these fields by the close of the season, and during the fall and winter made up their reports. The work of preparing the field notes and plats of the coal-land surveys was commenced immediately after the close of the field season and was completed early in the spring. Township plats of these surveys were made especially for photolithographic reproduction in black and two colors.

By proclamation dated March 15, 1916, the President reserved from use, location, sale, lease, or disposition certain lands in the Matanuska and Bering River fields. These areas, as well as the leasing units, railroad surveys, and possible transportation lines, were platted on a diagram map of the coal-land surveys, which was then photolithographed in black and two colors on a scale of 1 inch to the mile. The finished photolithographic township plats of each field on a scale of 2 inches to the mile, showing lines of survey, culture, lettering, and figures in black, contours in brown, and drainage and water areas in blue, together with the reproduction of the diagram map of each field, all on thin paper, have been bound in folio form for sale and distribution by the superintendent of documents, Washington, D. C. Photolithographic copies of the township plats on heavy paper for use as original, duplicate, and triplicate plats have been placed on file at the office of the surveyor general at Juneau, the General Land Office, and the local land offices. Thus was brought to a most successful and satisfactory conclusion the first step in the administration of the coal-land leasing law.

AGRICULTURAL LAND SURVEYS.

The area of township surveys, the plats of which have been approved by the surveyor general during the past year and sent to this office for acceptance, amounts to 354,164 acres, which is about one-half of the total area-790,706 acres of surveyed lands in Alaska to June 30, 1916.

The surveyor general recommends that the sum of $50,000 be allotted to Alaska for surveys, and cites the following reasons:

Referring to the data collected from authentic sources, it is estimated that not less than one-fifth of the area of Alaska, or over 60,000,000 acres, is tillable and pasture land capable of sustaining a large agricultural population. These areas are scattered over the entire territory south of the Yukon River and even in the Alexander Archipelago and adjacent mainland, which appear so forbidding for agricultural purposes to tourists and visitors because of the large mountain masses, it is estimated that 5 per cent is available for agriculture. Many and frequent inquiries are made of the surveyor general from various parts of the Territory as to the possibility of extending the public surveys, and the inquiries are made for the most part by settlers on the public lands who desire to acquire title to their homes. The many settlers in the surveyed townships along the north and south shores of Knik Arm indicate an influx of homesteaders to the other regions as soon as the public surveys are further extended. Communications have also been received from nonresidents of Alaska concerning the probable time when the public. surveys will be extended to the Susitna Valley and to the Tanana. Valley. The former valley and its tributaries contain an area of about 5,000,000 acres and is alleged to contain the largest body of agricultural land in the Territory.

The Tanana Valley is also a very large one and is traversed by the river of that name, which is navigable for steamboats for 275 miles above its confluence with the Yukon River, and drains an area of about 14,000,000 acres, the valley itself constituting a large part of that area. The Department of Agriculture has estimated that at least 75 per cent of this valley is available for agriculture and stock raising.

The Chilkat River and Eagle River Valleys in southeastern Alaska contain much arable land and many settlers have started homes in these valleys. They find a ready sale for their produce in the towns of this section and during the past two seasons several shipments were made to Seattle, which were readily sold at larger prices than were obtainable for the produce in the region of Puget Sound.

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Similar conditions prevail on the islands in the Alexander and Aleutian Archipelagoes, where lands are used for grazing purposes by stock raisers. Kodiak Island also contains fine pasture lands, and it has been demonstrated that stock can be profitably raised and fattened upon the nutritious grasses which abound on the island.

As the surveying parties completed their work in the Matanuska coal fields last fall they were transferred to various portions of the lower Matanuska Valley to the southwest of the coal fields as far as Knik Arm and were there engaged during the remainder of the season on surveys of agricultural lands. These surveys, embracing an area of approximately 47,000 acres in T. 17 N., Rs. 1 and 2 E.; T. 18 N., R. 2 E.; and T. 16 N., R. 1 E. of the Seward base and meridian, were completed in the late fall.

During the winter and early spring plans were perfected with a view to extending the surveys this season under the three existing principal bases and meridians in Alaska over such agricultural lands as would be by reason of soil, climate, and proximity to markets in most urgent demand for settlement in the near future. These areas lie along the line of the Government railroad east of Knik Arm and in the valleys of the Susitna, Nenana, and Tanana Rivers. Surveys made in 1912 along the east shore of Knik Arm while sufficient in extent to embrace all settlement, actual and prospective, so far as seemed probable at that time, cover but a comparatively small part of the area suitable for agricultural purposes soon to be accessible to markets between Knik Arm on the west, the 1,000-foot contour of the foot hills on the east, Ship Creek on the south, and Ekłutna Creek on the north. This area, embracing about 100,000 acres, is as well adapted in soil, climate, and topography to agricultural purposes as any lands in the Knik Arm district now settled upon, and with the coming of the railroad which will traverse this unsurveyed area will be as desirable as any. The survey of the agricultural lands of this region was commenced at the opening of the field season and is being prosecuted by two surveying parties, using Anchorage as a base. Our plans contemplate the completion of these surveys this field season.

Another area of vast importance from the standpoint of the prospective homesteader is that portion of the Susitna Valley east of the river between the Little Susitna River on the south and Sunshine Creek on the north. This part of the valley, covering an area of approximately 200,000 acres, is traversed by the line of the Government railroad, and while, as in most extended areas in Alaska, it is swampy in places the greater portion of the land is well adapted to agriculture. Land office surveys were commenced in this valley in May and are being extended from existing public-land surveys northwesterly and northerly by two surveying parties using boat trans

portation for supplies from Anchorage, up the Susitna, and pack animals from the river to the survey camps. It is presumed that this season's surveys will cover all lands in the valley for which there may be early demand.

The most probable field of immediate development in interior Alaska is the territory along the lower Nenana River, along Goldstream Creek, and in the Tanana and Nenana Valleys, in the vicinity of the town of Nenana. This area is traversed by the line of the Government railroad, and with the advent of quicker and cheaper transportation facilities will develop rapidly in an agricultural and industrial way. Two surveying parties, having computed a position in the rectangular net under the Fairbanks base and meridian from the triangulation station established last year near Nenana, have been since the opening of the season extending land office surveys over such lands in that locality as are suitable for agricultural purposes.

TOWN SITES.

During the early part of the fiscal year additions to the town sites of Seward and Anchorage were surveyed and platted, as were also the boundaries of the town sites of Haines and Douglas. During the winter all additional work in connection with the town site of Wrangell was completed in the field and platted.

The town site of Nenana, on the south side of the Tanana River, at the crossing of the railroad, was commenced during the last weeks of the fiscal year. This town site, the survey of which will be finished this surveying season, occupies a 320-acre legal subdivision of the public-land surveys under the Fairbanks base and meridian.

Just before the close of the fiscal year arrangements were made to survey a town site at Matanuska Junction. This survey has since been completed.

SURVEY OF ALLOTMENTS TO INDIANS AND ESKIMOS.

Under the procedure formerly governing allotments to Indians and Eskimos, authorized by act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat., 197), a survey of the proposed allotment was directed by the surveyor general on receipt of a certified copy of the application there for, if it was found regular in form. In practice this was found productive of much labor and expense, very often to no good purpose. The difficulty of identifying upon the ground, from the insufficient description given by the applicant, the land actually desired and the frequent change of purpose on the part of the applicant, led to the adoption of a new plan for handling applications for allotment, as announced in the circular regulations of July 19, 1916, whereby