ITEMS OF INTEREST December 22, 1906 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

The Secretary of the Interior reports that 19,431,187 acres of public lands were disposed of during the year, of which 1,774,341 acres were sold for cash. The others went for miscellaneous entries, embracing homesteads, land warrants, scrip locations, State selections, swamp lands, railroad and wagon road selections, and Indian allotments. Two million three hundred and seventy-four thousand more acres were disposed of than during the previous year. There remain of the unappropriated public lands 799,000,000 acres, of which nearly one half are in Alaska.

The Secretary reports that there were 324 cases of depredations upon public timber, to the value of $397,000, an increase of $213,000 over the previous year. Settlement was made in 172 cases and $19,000 collected. Recommendations for civil suit were made in 63 cases and criminal prosecutions also in 63 cases. He declares that 2,091,000 acres of public land were enclosed unlawfully and that in 66 of these cases the enclosures have been removed and 338,000 acres restored. Proceedings in the other cases are pending.

In discussing the leases of oil lands in the Creek and Cherokee Nations, Secretary Hitchcock, referring to the sub-leases scandal says: "The parties to said transfers were called upon for an explanation, and oral hearings were had at which full opportunity was given for such explanation as the parties interested might desire to make. The magnitude of these transactions, involving many millions of dollars, left no doubt in my mind as to the party furnishing the capital, and that if said transfers or drilling contracts were allowed to stand, the oil industry in the Indian Territory would be practically under the control of the corporation which already dominates to a large extent the oil industry of the country. The parties therefore were required to comply strictly with the regulations. Not satisfied, however, the parties endeavored to secure a reversal or modification of the departmental regulations from the President; but having been fully advised of my action in the premises, the President declined to make any modification and directed that the rules be enforced."

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