ACREAGE OF LANDS EXAMINED AND CLASSIFIED IN MONTANA AND IDAHO, ETC.

LETTER

FROM

THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR,

TRANSMITTING,

IN RESPONSE TO SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 106, INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE ACREAGE OF LANDS IN THE STATES OF MONTANA AND IDAHO.

MARCH 6, 1908.-Referred to the Committee on Public Lands and ordered to be

printed.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, March 5, 1908.

SIR: By direction of the President I transmit herewith the information requested in Senate resolution No. 106, dated February 28, 1908. There have been examined and classified in the States of Montana and Idaho, under the act approved February 26, 1895, 11,863,925.33 acres, no statistics having been kept of the acreage in each of the States, respectively. Of this acreage approximately 11,426.963.33 acres have been approved and 436,962 acres are pending, awaiting the adjudication of protests and contests filed against the classification of such lands. The classification has been completed in the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, land district and in the Bozeman land district, Montana. There remain to be examined and classified 795,420 acres in the Helena, Mont., land district and 805,060 acres in the Missoula and Kalispell, Mont., land districts, a total of 1,600,480.

It is impossible to determine the number of protests or contests. filed in the General Land Office against such classifications subsequent to the expiration of the period of publication, as prescribed by the act, for the reason that no lists of such protests or contests have been kept, the cases being separately and individually adjudicated. It may be stated, however, that such protests or contests are comparatively

few in number, and many of them arise in the ordinary adjudication of cases in this office where it is found that the land involved had previously been classified under said act.

A COPY OF A COMMUNICATION FROM THE ACTING SECRETARY OF WAR SUBMITTING ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE SERVICE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1909.

MARCH 9, 1908.-Referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be

printed.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY,
Washington, March 5, 1908

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith, for the consideration of Congress, copy of a communication from the Acting Secretary of War, of the 4th instant, submitting additional estimates of appropriations for the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, as follows:

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, March 4, 1908.

SIR: I have the honor to forward herewith, for transmission to Congress, additional estimates of appropriations required for the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, as follows:

Roads, walks, wharves and drainage..

Water and sewers at military posts

Total

$183, 750 160,000

343, 750

The Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, reports that the urgent need for the increase of appropriation under the heads named only reached his office during the past month, hence the impracticability of including the same in the annual estimates submitted for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, and that the maintenance of the efficiency of the service renders imperatively necessary the additional sums estimated for. ROBERT SHAW OLIVER, Acting Secretary of War.

Very respectfully,

The SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.

Additional estimates of appropriations required for the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, by the Quartermaster's Department, U. S. Army.

WAR DAPARTMENT.

QUARTERMASTER'S DEPARTMENT.

Roads, walks, wharves, and drainage

For the construction by the Quartermaster's Department of roads and
wharves, for payment of extra-duty pay to enlisted men employed
in opening roads and in building wharves, and for the disposal of
drainage (submitted)..

Water and sewers at military posts

For procuring and introducing water to buildings at such military posts
as from their situation require it to be brought from a distance and
for the disposal of sewage (submitted)....

$183, 750

.... 160,000 NOTE.-In preparing the estimates for appropriations for support of the Army for the fiscal year 1909 this office was guided by expenditures for the fiscal year 1907, as shown by its records. The total estimate under the items of the old appropriation transportation of the Army for the Philippines was $2,143,398.71. The estimate received from the division authorities calls for a total under this appropriation of $2,400,000.

The bill (H. R. 17288), as reported to the House of Representatives from the Committee on Military Affairs, divides the appropriation transportation of the Army as it now exists, and in accordance with the estimated needs of the Philippines Division made by the division authorities, the estimates, as submitted by this office, are inadequate under two of the new appropriations as follows: For roads, walks, wharves, and drainage, $68,750, and for water and sewers at military posts, $75,000.

Information received from the Philippines Division is that the division requires in addition to the foregoing for the fiscal year 1909 the following: For roads, walks, wharves, and drainage, $115,000, and for water and sewers at military posts, $85,000, making a total required in addition to that included in estimate a ready submitted for the fiscal year 1909 of, for roads, walks, wharves, and drainage, $183,750, and for water and sewers at military posts, $160,000.

In further explanation of this estimate the following extract copies of cablegrams are submitted:

The ADJUTANT-GENERAL, Washington:

MANILA, June 13, 1907.

With reference to your telegram of the 23d ultimo, annual estimate fiscal year 1909, as follows: "Appropriation, transportation of the Army, $2,400,000, great care has been exercised in preparing estimates; there should be absolutely no reduction. In the matter of transportation of the Army coming fiscal year, have effected economies this year amounting to in the neighborhood of $400,000 in straight transportation, land and water, and can meet reduction to $2,400,000, in accordance with estimates. It will be very difficult to meet reduction amounting to 33 per cent of that of previous year and do any of the necessary work under transportation at permanent posts, such as water, sewer, roads, etc.

WOOD.

The ADJUTANT-GENERAL, Washington:

MANILA, February 11, 1908.

With reference to our telegram of June 13, 1907, "Army transportation 1909," should be, if possible, increased to $2,600,000, incident to construction of new post, Biliran Island.

WOOD, Manila:

WOOD.

WASHINGTON, February 18, 1908.

Reference to telegram from your office of 11th instant, how much of $200,000 increase requested in army transportation is required for roads, walks, and drainage, and how much for procuring and introducing water to buildings, including plumbing, and for sewers. This information is necessary on account of rearrangement by Congress of army transportation, as provided in army transportation act for the fiscal year 1908. AINSWORTH.

The ADJUTANT-GENERAL, Washington:

MANILA, February 19, 1908.

Referring to telegram from your office of the 18th instant, of $200,000 increase requested under army transportation, $85,000 for water and plumbing, and $115,000 roads, walks, drainage, etc.

WOOD.

The urgent need for the increased appropriation under the heads named only reached this office in the past month, hence the impracticability of including the same in the annual estimate submitted July 27 last. The maintenance of the efficiency of the service renders imperatively necessary the additional sums asked for. (J. B. Aleshire, Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, March 2, 1908.)