Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1874 — Public Lands and Patent Statistics. [ARTICLE]

Public Lands and Patent Statistics.

The following statement and statistics are taken from the late report of the Secretary of the Interior? • public lauds. Daring the fiscal year ending Jane 30,1874, public lands were disposed of as follows: Cash sales, 1,041,345.40 acres; military-warrant locations, 133,160; homestead entries, 3,518,801.63; timberculture entries, 803,945.47; Agricultural College scrip locations, 112,932.98; approved to States as swamp, 202,187.91; certified to railroads, 3,264,314.42; certified for wagon-roads, 57,921.11; certified for Agricultural Colleges,. 114,289.18; certified for common schools, 69,899.84; certified for universities, 64,636.52; approved to States for internal Improvements, 184,986.70; Sioux half-breed scrip locations, 720; Chippewa, do., 11,671.71. Total, 9,530,872.93 acres—a quantity less by 3,499,733.94 acres than that disposed of the preceding year. Cash receipts $2,469,938.50, being $938,577 less than those of the preceding year. During the year 29,492,110.43 acres were surveyed, making 649,393,052 acres already surveyed, and leaving unsurveyed 1,185,605,348 acres. The diminution in the aggregate quantity of lands disposed of during the year is chiefly owing to the amount certified to rai1r0ad5—3,264,314.42 acres in the year ending June 30, 1874, against 6.083,536.57 acres in the year ending June 30,1873 Nearly a million acres were entered under the Timber act, which augurs well for the now treeless prairies of the West. The entries under this and the Homestead act exceed by over half a million acres like entries during the preceding year. The rapid destruction .of timber in this country, and especially that which is found on the public lands, is a source of great solicitude to all persons who have given the subject any consideration. If this destruction progresses in the future as rapidly as in the past the timbered lands of the Government will soon be denuded of everything that is valuable. Effective legislation protecting these lands from such waste is absolutely necessary, and cannot longer be neglected without serious injury to the public interests. Under the laws now in force for the disposition of public lands it is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain more than the minimum price ($1.25 per acre) for land, however valuable. When timbered lands are advertised for sale private parties, desiring to purchase, make such arrangements and combinations as to prevent competition ; hence the lands, if disposed of at all, are sold at the minimum when offered at public sale, and, if not then sold, are immediately entered at the minimum Government price by such parties. The most effectual means of preventing these practices is, in the judgment of the Secretary, to adopt the suggestions of the Commissioner of the General Land .Office; that pine and fir lands shall not be subject to entry under the Pre-emption, and Homestead laws: that a system of surveys "be devised by which the quantity of pine and fir timber on each smnllest subdivision of a section may be at least closely approximated; that an immediate exploration by experts of the unsurveyed portion of those States and Territories known to contain pine and fir timber be made, with a view of ascertaining the geographical situation of such districts; that the reports of such explorations be followed by immediate surveys, appraisements, proclamations and sales, at not less than the appraised value, and for cash only. PATENTS. The operations of the Patent Office during the year show a large increase over those of the preceding year. The number of applications, inclusive of re-issues and designs, was 21,077, of Which 13,545 were allowed; 229 applications for extensions were filed, of which 208 were granted, and 2,683 patents were allowed, but not issued on account of failure to pay the final fees. Six hundred and ninety-six applications for trade-marks and labels have also been Med, of which 583 were granted registration. The total amount of fees received was $721,111.35, and the total expenditures were $694,075.72, leaving a balance of $27,035.63, a sum greater by $24,858(60 than that of the preceding year.