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Mr. HAVELL. It would not be possible. For example, there are the topographical surveys, making the contour maps, and Mr. Scrug ham has referred to another type of survey, a survey as to the forag growth, and the Department of Agriculture is carrying on a soil survey.

WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION ALLOTMENT USED FOR SURVEY WORK

Mr. RICH. Do you expect to get any money from the P. W. A. after June 30?

Mr. HAVELL. We have nothing in sight. We have received thre allotments from Public Works. Each one of them was carefully scrutinized. In connection with the last one, the Comptrolle General raised a technical objection, which was made the subject of an amendment to our appropriation act, for Congress looked with favor upon it. We feel that each one of the projects that we have is very meritorious.

Mr. RICH. In connection with the $750,000 that you received from the P. W. A. last year, was that all used just in the Public Land Division?

Mr. HAVELL. Absolutely in connection with the survey of public land.

Mr. RICH. When you speak of 500 million acres of land to be surveyed, is it necessary to go ahead and make a survey of all of that land at this particular time? Will not there be opportunities for you to send out a corps of engineers over this land when you have an application for it from time to time to make a complete survey of it? What would be the good of your charting everything and placing it in your office now, when you might have a change of administration, and 3 change of the ideas of somebody in 5 or 6 years from now, and they might want to come back and do it all over again?

Mr. HAVELL. Simply this, that we have now before us pressing demands to the amount of $3,000,000 worth of surveys. We are not asking for the $3,000,000, the Budget allowance is but $650,000. though we can profitably use as much as $1,500,000. That shows the conservative attitude that we are taking toward the problem which is before us.

Mr. RICH. That is because you want to get it all charted at once under the Taylor Grazing Act.

Mr. HAVELL. No; that is not our desire at all.

Mr. RICH. But somebody back home is demanding that it be surveyed, and that you do this or that, but is it absolutely essential?

Mr. HAVELL. I think, Mr. Rich, that it is absolutely essential to execute the surveys next year that are urgently needed. We are not proposing to meet the demand for all of the $3,000,000 of surveys. We are putting on the brakes ourselves.

Mr. RICH. I think that we ought to put them on, too.

Mr. HAVELL. The best that I can do is to come to you with my honest conviction as to what ought to be done and leave it to the consideration of you gentlemen.

SALARIES AND COMMISSIONS OF REGISTERS OF DISTRICT LAND OFFICES

Mr. SCRUGHAM. On page 51 of the bill is the item covering salaries and commissions of registers of the district land offices.

Mr. HAVELL. Yes, sir. The compensation of registers is fixed by law, with a straight salary of $2,000 and fees and commissions up to

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$1,600 a total of $3,600 per annum each. While the majority of the registers receive the maximum of $3,600, in the smaller offices the compensation of these officers falls considerably below that amount, and the average for such officers for the fiscal year 1936 was $3,330. lowing for lapses it is estimated that $74,000 will meet obligations under this title for the fiscal year 1938. This is $3,500 less than the appropriation of $77,500 for the 1937 fiscal year.

Mr. SCRUGHAM. If I interpret this item correctly, you had $75,000 last year, and an unobligated balance of some $2,500, or a total of $77,500. The estimate for 1938 is $74,000. Will that reduction of $3,500 is any way handicap the work of the registers?

Mr. HAVELL. The salary of the registers is fixed by law, $2,000 base pay, and the rest, not to exceed $3,600, is by way of fees and commissions. We are not able to tell just what the fees and commissions will be during the year.

Mr. SCRUGHAM. In your opinion, that will meet the obligation? Mr. HAVELL. If it does not I feel that since they are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, there would be justification for creating a deficiency to pay their salaries.

Mr. SCRUGHAM. I would like to call to the attention of this committee this very remarkable thing of a voluntary reduction of $3,500 from the preceding year's appropriation. I do not recall any such thing happening before in the history of this committee.

Mr. O'NEAL. I wonder what excuse the gentleman has for suggesting a voluntary reduction.

CIVIL-SERVICE STATUS OF EMPLOYEES OF GENERAL LAND OFFICE

Mr. FITZPATRICK. What percentage of all of the employees of the Land Office are taken from the civil-service list?

Mr. HAVELL. Excepting the Commissioner, the Assistant Commissioner, the recorder, and these just mentioned are all places set up by Congress and excepted, as well as a woman who is authorized to sign the President's name, and selected by the President himself, everybody else is under the civil service.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Was there an examination given for them?

Mr. HAVELL. That is correct.

Mr. RICH. You maintain 25 offices over the country?

Mr. HAVELL. Yes, sir; and the registers of the local land offices are political; they are appointed.

Mr. RICH. Do they have to look over certain divisions of the land and then recapitulate that work here in Washington, or do they finish the work in the field?

Mr. HAVELL. You are speaking of the surveying now?

Mr. RICH. What do they do? Do they have duplicate maps there and do vou keep duplicate surveys here?

Mr. HAVELL. One of the items in this appropriation for general expenses is for the reproduction of plats. We have only one plat made by hand. We lithograph it and produce three hard copies. One is kept in the General Land Office here, one is kept by the register of the United States District Land Office, and one is kept by the Public Survey office in the State.

CONTINGENT EXPENSES OF LAND OFFICES

Mr. SCRUGHAM. The next item covers contingent expenses of land offices, and is as follows [reading]:

Contingent expenses of land offices: For clerk hire, rent, and other incidental expenses of the district land offices, including the expenses of depositing public money; traveling expenses of clerks detailed to examine the books and management of district land offices and to assist in the operation of said offices, and for traveling expenses of clerks transferred in the interest of the public service from one district land office to another, $160,000: Provided, That no expenses chargeable to the Government shall be incurred by registers in the conduct of local land offices except upon previous specific authorization by the Commissioner of the General Land Office.

Mr. HAVELL. Yes, sir. Our justification to support that item is as follows [reading]:

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The administration of the Taylor Grazing Act as amended by the act of June. 26, 1936 (Public, No. 827), has added considerably to the work of district la: 1 offices. All permits, licenses, leases, and exchanges are filed, serialized, ar recorded in the local land offices, and all collections under the act are made said offices. All of this necessitates heavy correspondence, and the increase work due to the act more than offsets the loss of work due to withdrawing pub lands from entry. It has been necessary during the past fiscal year to bill ↑ Division of Grazing for some of the clerical work performed in these offices order to keep within the appropriation. The principal obligations other th personnel, such as registering notices and advertising, are required by law n regulations and are not subject to administrative control. The estimate $160,000 for the fiscal year 1938 is the same as the appropriation for the 15 fiscal year.

District land offices are maintained at the following places: Alaska: Anchor Fairbanks, Nome; Arizona: Phoenix; California: Los Angeles, Sacran Colorado: Denver, Pueblo; Idaho: Blackfoot, Coeur d'Alene; Montana: BE Great Falls; Nevada: Carson City; New Mexico: Las Cruces, Santa Fe; N Dakota: Bismarck; Oregon: Lakeview, Roseburg, The Dalles; South Da Pierre; Utah: Salt Lake City; Washington: Spokane; Wyoming: Buffalo, enne, Evanston; Total, 25.

The General Land Office at Washington exercises original jurisdiction the public lands in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, isiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Okla and Wisconsin.

The following tabular statement, similar to those heretofore furnished, the business transacted by the 25 offices during the fiscal year ended J 1936, also the acreage embraced in unperfected entries as of July 1, 1936

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Statement, showing stratoret land offers, nereage embraced in unperfected enteren in of July 1, 1946, and filings presented, entries made, entries perfected, receipts, and expenses during fiscal year ended June 30, 1936

lings presented, entries made, entries perfected, receipts, and expenses during the fiscal year

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Statement showing district land offices, acreage embraced in unperfected entries as of July 1, 1936, and filings presented, entries made, entries perfected, receipts, and expenses during fiscal year ended June 30, 1936-Continued

Filings presented, entries made, entries perfected, receipts, and expenses during the fiscal year

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Percent 68.00 86.37

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