all recent work in the public and coal land surveys; also the line of the Government railway and the several towns located thereon.

Topographic maps and plat of the Bering River and Matanuska coal fields, Alaska, showing the coal-leasing units in accordance with the leasing law of October 20, 1914, have been prepared for use as folios, which may be obtained from the superintendent of documents, Government Printing Office, at a cost of $1 for the Matanuska folio and 75 cents for the Bering River folio.

Some special work done during the year is worthy of mention, such as the preparation of maps showing the Standing Rock and the Colville Indian Reservations, prepared for use at the opening of these reservations. In this line of work I caused to be prepared, in accordance with your directions, a map, somewhat novel in its character, but extremely useful to the public, serving in itself to answer many questions with respect to the jurisdiction and varied activities of the Interior Department in the public domain. On this map are depicted national parks, national monuments, and reclamation projects, as well as the location in the field of the offices, through which the several bureaus of the department are represented. This map may be procured from the superintendent of documents, Government Printing Office, at a cost of 15 cents per copy.

There were reproduced during the fiscal year, by photolithographic process, 1,388 township plats, 867 of which were of new surveys, and 521 of older surveys, to replenish the files.

TRACT RECORDS.

This line of work in our office is in a very satisfactory condition, permitting the posting of patent certificates immediately upon their receipt in the office, thus enabling the adjudicating divisions to pass satisfactory-cases to patent with less delay than has existed for many

years.

The total number of tract-book notations made in posting various entries, applications, selections, appeals, rejections, cancellations, etc., is 394,307, as compared with 379,435 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915. This number includes 19,796 patents and 897 Indian allotments.

Prior to March 1, 1916, it was not the practice to make the tract books show the issuance of patents in various cases. In accordance with the order of February 29, 1916, the 19,796 patents mentioned. were noted.

During this period 1,952 plats of survey were posted, as compared with 1,177 posted during the year previous. In posting plats, the area of each subdivision is shown on the tract books.

The number of original homestead entries, desert entries, timber and stone applications, etc., examined was 70,493, of which 62,556

were passed and action taken on the remainder to remedy defects found therein. This is 10,092 more than were examined during the previous year. The examination of the various entries at the time they are posted on the tract books is for the purpose of detecting and correcting defects apparent, either on the face of the applications themselves, or of conflicts discovered with other entries, selections, or withdrawals of land.

There were posted on the tract books during the year 14,055 petitions asking for the designation under the amendatory act of March 4, 1915 (38 Stat., 1162), of lands alleged to be properly subject to entry under the law allowing enlarged homestead entries.

Under the act of Congress approved April 14, 1914 (38 Stat., 335), and circular of instructions No. 327, dated June 3, 1914, issued thereunder, there were withdrawn from the files, and examined, cases on which 1,120 supplemental patents have been issued, wherein the original patents contained reservations of coal to the United States, but the lands were subsequently reclassified as noncoal in character. HOMESTEADS-TIMBER AND STONE-ISOLATED TRACTS. The record in this line of work during the past year shows approvals for patent as follows:

The decrease in the number of homestead entries approved for patent during the past year is apparently due to the fact that home-. steaders are taking advantage of the provisions of the enlarged homestead acts, and have been prevented from submitting final proofs on their original entries through the necessary delay in securing the designation of the land desired as an additional entry as subject to entry under the enlarged homestead acts.

In this connection, as will be seen by the table that follows, the number of original homestead entries made each year has steadily increased since 1912, while the number of entries commuted has rapidly decreased. The reason for this is apparent; enlarged homestead entries can not be commuted. The enactment of that law, with its various amendments, has had the effect of making commutation of homestead, under section 2301 of the Revised Statutes, of little value to the homesteader of this day, who needs at least 320 acres of the kind of land now available.

Note the number of original homestead entries made during the years named and the number perfected by commutation and final proof.

Under the second homestead law of September 5, 1914 (38 Stat., 712), action was taken upon 4,891 applications, as against 2,943 applications for the year previous.

Action was also taken during the same period on over 18,000 petitions (14,055 new and balance pending June 30, 1915), filed under the amendatory act of March 4, 1915 (38 Stat., 1162), conferring upon applicants a preferred right of entry, under the enlarged homestead act, of lands theretofore undesignated. So far as the work of this office is concerned, these petitions are equivalent to as many more original applications by reason of the necessity of first noting the records and taking action on the petitions before the applications can be allowed or rejected pursuant to the regular procedure.

HOMESTEADS, LARGE AND SMALL.

From time to time inquiries are addressed to this office in the interest of proposed legislation looking toward a distribution of our public lands in such manner as to secure the highest form of permanent development. This is especially true in connection with the disposition of lands, properly classified as agricultural, though ranging from the high fertility of a well-watered country to the semidesert condition of the arid and nonirrigable region.

Not an infrequent criticism of our public-land system has been based upon the fact that an absolute title is passed from the United States to the entryman, who thereafter is in full control of the land. and may make such use thereof as may seem best to him. This, it is said, is conducive to speculative entries, so that people not really desirous of acquiring permanent homes or developing their lands to that end, but only seeking temporary results, make entries, secure patents, and thereafter promptly dispose of the land, the result being that instead of making many small homes it operates in the interest of the large landholder.

In my last report I drew attention to the fact that a study was being made in this office of the operation of the homestead law in its

several forms, and gave the results of this inquiry so far as then prosecuted. Since then I have secured further data on this general subject, which I believe should be preserved for future reference.

The specific point to which this inquiry has been addressed is to determine the relative degree of permanent investment secured under the three best-known forms of homestead entry, distinguished by the area of each, to wit:

1. The homestead law of 160 acres.

2. The enlarged-homestead entry of 320 acres.

3. The Kinkaid homestead entry of 640 acres.

(1) The method adopted in studying this form of entry was to compile the data from the final proofs submitted on 10 homestead entries, taken at random from each of 95 districts of the public-land States, in comparatively recent cases.

These final proofs necessarily covered all kinds and varieties of the 160-acre homestead entry, but for the purpose in hand no distinction in that particular was made, and it was found that a total of 26,297 acres were cultivated in the 950 claims, and the entire value of the improvements placed thereon estimated at $751,151, so that the average cultivation per entry thus disclosed was 27 acres, and the average value of the improvements on each farm $790.

From this but one deduction can be reached, and that in favor of the general good faith of the small homesteader and his bona fide intention of making a permanent home for himself on the public domain. Any other conclusion would not be warranted, especially when it is taken into consideration that, for the most part, these entrymen are largely dependent upon the labor of their own hands. for the improvement and cultivation of the land, as well as for their own maintenance, during the time they are engaged in earning title to their homes.

(2) The study of the enlarged-homestead law to determine in what degree it had affected the settlement and development of the country generally was prosecuted through the field service.

This law permits taking as a homestead 320 acres of semiarid grazing lands which have been designated by the Secretary of the Interior as not susceptible of successful irrigation at a reasonable cost from any known source of water supply. A careful study of the reports submitted justify the general conclusion that 320 acres of land of this character are absolutely necessary for the support of a family; that under the provisions of this law the farmer has been enabled to successfully combine the cultivation of a portion of the land in crop, with the use of the remainder for stock raising. With a smaller acreage of such land no such diversified investment of his capital and labor would be possible. The occupation and improvement of large

areas of semiarid nonirrigable land has therefore resulted through a practical combination of dry farming with stock raising. Here and there is encountered an expression of opinion that the law has been made use of for speculative ends, but this is the exception.

(3) The Kinkaid Act of April 28, 1904 (33 Stat., 547), permits the entry of 640 acres within a specified portion of the State of Nebraska, where the character of the soil is such that the ordinary forms of cultivation can not be successfully employed but cattle grazing is fairly remunerative. When this law was first proposed, and during the time of its discussion before Congress, it was then said that it would be made use of by wealthy stock growers who, under the provisions of the law, would be able to obtain large bodies of public land. The friends of the measure, however, believed that if the small owner could have title to sufficient land to graze a few cattle he would not readily part with the land, and this view finally prevailed in the adoption of the act as it now stands.

A study of the Kinkaid law, in its operation for the first 10 years after its passage, from June 28, 1904, to June 28, 1914, has been made. Complete lists, by counties, of the final proofs made under said act during that period were procured, and these lists referred to the proper county recorders in each county in order to ascertain to what extent the original ownership had been retained by the entrymen. The figures thus obtained show the following:

Area in hands of small holders_.

Area in hands of large holders.

Area in hands of original entrymen....

Total area proved up on June 28, 1904, to June 28, 1914____

Acres.

6, 422, 963. 09 303, 553. 32 4, 589, 870. 91 ---- 6, 726, 516. 41

It will be noted that the sum of the large and small holdings is the same as the total acreage proved up under the act. The acreage in the hands of original entrymen does not affect the total, as all lands in this column are included in either the large or small holdings column.

In addition to the statistical matter thus secured, a canvass was made through inquiries in the form of questions addressed to prominent and well-informed parties in every county in the Kinkaid district, as well as to a large number of entrymen under the act.

General conditions in the territory covered by the act were also made the subject of inquiry, and where statistics had been gathered by the State of Nebraska, and were available, a comparison was made between the 10 years prior to 1904 and the 10 years immediately thereafter. Statistics as to the increase in population, valuation of property, crops, live stock, etc., were thus obtained and preserved.