mum investment of nearly $3,000,000. Action has not yet been taken on these applications, but it would appear that no difficulty is likely to be met in securing substantial investments under the leasing law.

Under section 10 of the coal-leasing act, which authorizes free permits to mine coal on small tracts for domestic uses, 15 permits have been issued, 10 during the year past. The estimated annual output under these permits is 142,700 tons.

Map compiling and drafting.-The new United States map shows the extension of the public surveys during the fiscal year to an area of 8,855,724 acres.

The issuance of a general map of the Territory of Alaska during the coming year is announced by the commissioner, which will show all recent work in the public and coal-land surveys, also the line of the Government railway and the several towns located thereon.

Tract records.-The total number of tract-book notations for the year past was 394,307, as compared with 379,435 for the year previous. During this period 1,952 plats of survey were posted, as against 1,177 during the year previous.

Homesteads and kindred entries.-In this line of work the record. shows approvals for patent: Final homesteads, 29,598; commuted homesteads, 2,940; timber and stone cash entries, 575; isolated tracts, 2,009; miscellaneous sales, 1,056; total, 36,178.

The decrease in the number of homestead entries approved for patent is due to the fact that homesteaders are taking advantage of the provisions of the enlarged-homestead act, and have not been able to submit their final proofs, on account of delay in securing the designation of additional lands.

During this time action was taken on over 18,000 petitions filed under the amendatory act of March 4, 1915, conferring upon applicants a preference right of entry under the enlarged-homestead act of lands theretofore undesignated.

Reclamation homesteads.-Additional farm units in the year past have been opened to entry, either by the issuance of public notices or the announcement of the availability of water for irrigation purposes, on five separate projects.

One thousand one hundred and twenty-four original homestead entries were examined and accepted; 764 final homestead entries were approved for patent; 15 assignments of desert-land entries within irrigation projects were examined and accepted.

Homestead entries in national forests.-Notices were issued under the act of June 11, 1906, for the restoration of 1,525 lists of lands in national forests, by which approximately 152,000 acres of agricultural lands were opened to homestead settlement and entry of not

to exceed 160 acres each. Under this act approximately 1,350 patents issued during the past year.

Lieu selections for lands in Indian reservations.-The commissioner reports the close of proceedings following the protest of the land commission of Arizona against the acceptance as a basis for exchange of the deed filed by the Santa Fe Pacific Co. December 28, 1912, for 327,000 acres of land. As the result of the investigation under this protest, the company furnished a new and satisfactory base for the lands included within said deed, following which selections, theretofore suspended on account of said protest, were approved, where found otherwise regular, and passed to patent.

Forest lieu selections.-The act of June 4, 1897 (30 Stat., 36), which made provision for the selection of public lands in lieu of lands in national forests was repealed by the act of March 3, 1905 (33 Stat., 1264), except as to certain outstanding contracts. The commisisoner reports approximately 600 selections yet awaiting final action, involving between 100,000 and 150,000 acres; of these, some are awaiting survey of the lands selected, some suspended for investigation as to the character of the selected lands as mineral or otherwise, and some suspended on account of alleged fraud in acquisition of title to the base land; of these last mentioned, some are pending action on field investigations and some under contest charges by the Government. During the fiscal year 297 selections were finally disposed of, approximately 250 being patented and 47 canceled.

Chippewa Indian logging, Minnesota.-The total amount cut during the 13 years of logging operations is 1,256,020,826 feet, and valued at $8,871,692.90. The amount cut already exceeds the Government's estimates by over 38 per cent. The total expense in connection with this logging for 13 years is 4.22 per cent of the total receipts.

Opening of Chippewa lands, Minnesota.-February 19, 1916, instructions issued for the opening to settlement and entry under the homestead laws of 56,175 acres of Chippewa Indian lands, Minnesota, classified as "cut over" or "pine lands."

Abandoned military reservations.-The preliminary work for the opening of the Fort Assinniboine abandoned reservation in the State of Montana, under the act of February 11, 1915, is about completed. The agricultural lands in this reservation will be disposed of under the homestead laws; the lands entered during the first six months after the opening to be paid for by the settlers at $2.50 per acre, and lands entered after such period at $1.25 per acre. There will probably be in the neighborhood of 100,000 acres opened under this act. Fort Sabine Military Reservation, comprising land in Cameron Township, La., is separated by Sabine Pass and Sabine Lake from

the State of Texas, and considerable interest attaches to these lands on account of their nearness to the Beaumont oil fields. The pendency of a claim under the swamp act for these lands, made by the State of Louisiana, has hitherto delayed action in the disposition of this reservation; but a conclusion adverse to the State having been reached, action will no longer be delayed.

The act of July 3, 1916, Public No. 139, provides for the disposal of two abandoned military reservations, comprising over 1,200 acres on the Narrows, which separates them from the peninsula on which Tacoma, Wash., is located. The act provides for the survey of the lands into 20-acre tracts, giving the settlers thereon January 1, 1910, a preference right to purchase lands occupied by them, not exceeding 20 acres, at the appraised price; the lands not thus disposed of within one year after the approval of the regulations are to be sold at public auction.

The military reservation at Fort Brown, Tex., has been returned to the control and custody of the War Department. This reservation had been abandoned and preparations made for its disposal under the act of July 5, 1884, but in view of border conditions and the need of the property for military purposes an Executive order was issued again placing the reservation under the jurisdiction of the War Department.

The military reservation at Fort Ringgold, Tex., which had been surveyed and appraised with reference to its sale under the act of July 5, 1884, is at present occupied by the military forces along the border, and its present disposal is not in contemplation.

Minnesota drainage entries.-In the year past 917 cash entries, made under purchases at tax sales, have been approved; the area thus patented is approximately in the neighborhood of 140,000 acres. Sales of Indian lands.-During the past year there have been, in the aggregate, sales of Indian lands reaching an approximate area of 122,000 acres, for a consideration of $315,000.

Town sites and kindred entries.-A marked activity in town-site and town-lot sales is reported. Numerous lots in town sites have been sold on time. No title is secured in such case until full payment is made. During the year 449 lots, not including sales in Alaska, were sold under this plan for $21,724.

The town site of Anchorage was surveyed into lots in June, 1915. The sale of lots which followed reached the sum of $177,105, on which the initial payment amounted to $60,773. Since the original survey an amended survey has been made, creating two additions to the town site. Town-lot sales in the additions were made in July, 1916, amounting to $212,020, on which the initial payments were $82,445.

Similar activity in town-site development is reported from the towns of Seward, Matanuska, and Nenana.

Railroad grants.-Railroad and wagon-road selections were received during the year to the amount of 1,958,444 acres, as against 886,215 in 1915.

There were patented 2,208,178 acres, as against 1,624,142 acres in

1915.

The act of Congress approved June 9, 1916, Public No. 86, revested in the United States the title to so much of the lands granted to the Oregon & California Railroad Co. as remained unsold July 1, 1913, the company to receive $2.50 per acre for such lands. This legislation will call for the classification of the lands involved and the complete adjustment of the grant at as early a date as practicable. This work has already been undertaken and is being pushed forward with all expedition.

Rights of way.-Operations under the general right-of-way acts continue active, although not so heavy as last year. heavy as last year. In all, together with those pending and received during the year, 703 applications have been disposed of by the office, leaving only 15 awaiting office action and 162 awaiting action elsewhere.

State desert-land segregation. During the year "Carey Act" withdrawal applications under the act of March 15, 1910, were finally disposed of, aggregating 194,722 acres.

Segregation applications to the amount of 15,069 acres were disposed of, either by segregation or rejection, in 1914; 108,464 acres in 1915; and 218,337 acres in 1916, showing a steadily growing interest in the possibilities of State development under this act.

Patents under this law are still on the increase; in 1914, 4,244 acres were patented to the various States; in 1915, 146,079 acres were patented; and last year 160,741 acres were patented.

Desert-land entries.-In the past fiscal year 2,208 desert-land entries were patented, embracing 350,534 acres. During the same period nearly 2,000 applications for relief under the act of March 4, 1915, providing for the perfecting as homestead entries of entries. made under the desert-land laws where water is not obtainable were approved, and these claimants are now in the way of acquiring title. Examinations were made of 8,352 proofs of annual expenditures; 2,705 applications for extension of time to submit final proofs; and 407 assignments.

New forms for annual proofs, final proofs, and a new desert-land circular were prepared and received departmental approval.

Special attention in the past year has been given to the investigation of irrigation projects alleged as sources of water supply in desert entries, 154 projects having been favorably acted upon in that

time, involving approximately 1,000 desert-land entries; 61 projects adversely, affecting nearly 500 desert-land entries.

Imperial Valley. The commissioner calls attention to the final disposition of the complicated questions arising under reclamation withdrawals in the Imperial Valley, Cal. The total acreage restored was 120,807 acres, of which 90,832 acres were covered by prior appropriations, existing entries, recognized settlements, and preference rights, while 17,112 acres were restored to settlement and entry. An unappropriated area of over 12,000 acres was not restored to settlement and entry because covered at present by the waters of the Salton Sea.

Imperial Land District, California.-By act of Congress approved June 15, 1916, Public, No. 93, a new land district was created in the State of California, to be known as the Imperial Land District. The Secretary of the Interior, under authority of section 1 of this act, selected El Centro as the location for the land office of this district, the office to be opened for the transaction of public business on September 1, 1916.

State selections.-Action has been suspended during the past year on a large proportion of indemnity school-land selections pending proposed amendatory legislation, but during that time 300,715 acres of indemnity school-land selections and 746,000 acres of selections under grants of quantity have received departmental approval.

The necessity for additional legislation by which the authority of the department and the several States will be more clearly defined is set forth at length by the commissioner, together with the effort made by the department to secure proper remedial action at the hands of Congress.

Swamp and overflowed lands.-The commissioner submits a statement showing the history of this grant in the department by which it appears that the several States beneficiaries under the grant have received upward of 64,500,000 acres of land with $2,000,000 cash indemnity; and because of the conclusion reached that the grant has not been so employed by the States as to secure the drainage of the great body of lands actually granted, and for additional reasons given, renews his recommendation that legislation be enacted declaring after a date fixed no new claims to swamp and overflowed lands be received or recognized.

Indian allotments.-During the past fiscal year 3,568 Indian trust patents, embracing 505,961 acres, were issued to Indians, as compared with 2,324 trust patents, embracing 284,713 acres isued during the year ending June 30, 1915.

In the past year 2,298 patents in fee, embracing 300,390 acres, were issued to Indians found competent to assume charge of their own