rejected and canceled, the acreage finally adjudicated being 306,940.35

acres.

Railroad grants and selections.-Railroad and wagon-road selections were received during the year to the amount of 149,548.71 acres, and during the same period there were allowed and patented 1,573,640.01 acres.

Coos Bay wagon-road lands.-Under the acts of June 9, 1916, and' February 26, 1919, 17 sales of 60,659,000 feet, board measure, of timber were made, for which $132,864.70 was received.

Oregon and California railroad lands.-Under the act of June 9,. 1916, 98 sales of timber were held during the year, involving 13,740.27 acres, containing 412,233,000 feet, board measure, of timber, for which the sum of $789,925.45 was received.

Indian allotments.-Indian trust or restricted patents to the number of 4,196 have been issued during the year with a total area of 1,424,540 acres, and 1,484 fee patents have been issued to Indians or to purchasers with an area of 180,014 acres.

Lieu selections for lands in Indian reservations.-During the year there were five selections approved and patented containing about 2,386.30 acres, in lieu of about 2,400 acres reconveyed to the United' States for reservation purposes. Two selections were rejected and 12 new applications filed.

Exchange of lands under special acts.-The rules and regulations promulgated under the act of March 20, 1922, are used as regulations for more than 15 other special acts; 38 informal applications have been received and conditionally approved embracing an area of base land tendered to the Government of approximately 50,394 acres for national forest purposes; 7 selections have been approved for patent resulting in the acquirement by the Government of 4,880 acres for forest purposes.

Details of exchanges under these acts are set forth in the commissioner's report.

National forests.-There are now 146 national forests, embracing 182,817.159 acres, of which a little over 86 per cent is public land. The net increase in national forest area since the beginning of the fiscal year is 931,679 acres.

Small-holding claims.-During the past year 14 small-holding claims have been approved for patent. The act of June 15, 1922, under which these claims are presented, expired by limitation on June 15, 1924, and new claims thereafter will be barred.

Private land claims.-Claims of this character continue to be a constant subject of inquiry by present owners relative to their status and by descendants of the original grantees. During the year 25 claims were approved for patent.

Extension of time for payment on Indian lands.-Due to droughts for several years in the Northwestern States, resulting in crop failures, the requests for extensions of time for payment on homestead entries of ceded Indian lands have been constant. Specific information as to action taken in cases of this character are furnished by the commissioner in his report.

Mineral lands.-During the year 502 mineral entries were approved for patent. Three coal entries were approved for patent, covering 355.351 acres, based on rights initiated under the coal land. laws prior to the enactment of the leasing act; 37 potash permits were issued under the potash leasing law, 25 permits under the sodium leasing law, and 8 phosphate leases were canceled.

Coal leases and permits.-One hundred and fifty coal-prospecting permits were issued during the year, having an aggregate of 147,114.62 acres; 78 coal leases covering an aggregate of 24,392.06 acres; and 9 licenses covering an aggregate of 381.75 acres.

Oil and gas activities.-Under section 14 of the general leasing act of February 25, 1920, 21 leases issued, covering 3,674.93 acres. Under section 17 of the act authorizing the public sale of leases, one lease was issued covering 163.48 acres, for which the Government received $7,163.48. Under sections 13 and 20 of the act, prospecting permits were granted on 4,108 applications.

Receipts under the mineral leasing act.-Receipts of the Federal Government from bonuses, royalties, and rentals under the law providing for leases and mineral rights on the public domain aggregate $13,631,840.72.

Contests. During the year 207 decisions were rendered in connection with forest lieu selections and 82 forest lieu selections were approved for patenting; and during the same period 546 litigated cases were disposed of and 1,057 unappealed cases were closed out, leaving the work of the division practically current.

Repayments.-Under the several acts governing repayment, there were stated during the last fiscal year 1,764 accounts allowing repayment of $99,896.42, and during the same period 1,105 claims for repayment were denied.

Patents and certified copies.-During the year 30,015 patents (including reissues), covering a total of 8,936,520.80 acres, were issued. Approximately 60 per cent of the original patents was disposed of under the various homestead laws; 28,545 copies of patent records and 67,135 copies of other official records were furnished.

Alaska.-The commissioner's report deals at considerable length with conditions in Alaska, with suggestions as to needed legislation therefor.

Statistics relating to the public domain. The commissioner suggests the advisability of legislative action authorizing the compila

tion and publication of an additional volume of the Public Domain (an Executive document issued in 1883), which will embrace the public land laws in operation and enacted since that period.

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Indian health. The promotion of health falls within the group of activities of paramount importance to Indian welfare. The Indians are subject to the same diseases that afflict other people. The difference in living conditions accounts largely for the difference in death rate. As science overcomes the medicine man's practice and home sanitation increases, the difference between Indian and white mortality will diminish. The two most prevalent Indian diseases, tuberculosis and trachoma, are gradually yielding to better hospitalization and other agencies at work for domestic improvement. Special effort was made during the year to enroll children having trachoma in school, where facilities for treatment are better, and following a medical survey in several States, a trachoma campaign was organized for the current year, to cover the States of Arizona, and New Mexico, which will be pushed aggressively. This will include the great Navajo country, where the urgent need exists, and will have the advisory cooperation of Dr. John McMullen of the United States Public Health Service, a nationally known trachoma expert, as well as the aid of local health bureaus and Red Cross organizations of those States. There were many epidemics last year, but no direct fatalities were attributed to any reported.

Under recent appropriations arrangements are in progress for a new sanitorium at Onigum, Minn., a new hospital for the Chilocco School, Okla., and from the $130,000 extra allowances for health work in 1925, $40,000 has been allotted for a sanitorium to occupy the abandoned plant of the Shawnee boarding school, Oklahoma. It is hoped that like facilities for health needs at half a dozen other locations will be supplied in the near future, including an institution for crippled children. Plans were completed for a division of field welfare to be conducted by a supervisor of field nurses and field matrons for the systematic coordination of health work by these employees throughout the service.

Schools. Attendance in Government schools last year was equal to capacity, except in localities where epidemics prevented. Appropriations for equipment and maintenance have not been as liberal as for increasing capacity, which has necessitated a slight shortening of the school term and in a number of instances has imposed insufficient supplies, owing to the continued high prices of nearly all essential lines. On account of most home conditions, it would be

better to lengthen rather than shorten the school year. Public school atendance by Indian children has increased rapidly, as indicated by the unusually large expenditure for their tuition. The results are satisfactory as to training and reduced cost to the Govern

ment.

Summer schools for retarded pupils.-About 700 children who failed to pass the regular examination at the close of June, 1923, attended summer sessions of from four to six weeks, and 80 per cent made their grades and were promoted. These sessions were conducted at 20 boarding schools, where funds were available, without additional cost for instruction and at small expense for subsistence, as the schools generally at that season produced all vegetables needed. These pupils, therefore, will complete their schooling practically a year sooner than they otherwise would at a saving to the Government of about $100,000, and their places will be filled that much sooner by other deserving children. Lack of individual attention in large classes is a cause of retardation in many schools, and the summer session seems to be justified as a permanent feature.

Improvement of the teaching service. The law allows not to exceed 30 days' educational leave per year, and the present policy is to require all instructors to attend a session of training school of not. less than 30 days at least every other summer, which admits of a sufficient number not in attendance each year to furnish the instruction at summer sessions for backward pupils. The attendanceof teachers in summer schools for self-improvement has increased in three years from 25 to 325. Reading circles maintained at all schools has also added notably to teaching efficiency.

Peculiar needs of the Navajos.—The Navajos must depend almost entirely on boarding schools, as they move with their flocks over an area that makes any but a movable day school inaccessible for more than a short period. The sheep industry upon which they depend calls for some of their children to help with the sheep in all seasons. A continuous session of boarding schools available for them would enable alternate attendance as between those who can be spared and those needed for the flocks, and thus go far toward meeting urgent needs. This policy would require more money for support of schools, which it is believed would be fully justified. by the results.

Supervisors' conference.-A conference in Washington of all school supervisors at the beginning of the year covered all policies and procedure of the Indian school system and established closer cooperation between the office and field service. This meeting discussed the subject of Indian employment and outlined constructive plans for enlarged service of this kind, emphasizing special con

sideration and assistance to girl students and graduates. Its recommendations also led to the organization of Junior Red Cross societies in nearly all Indian schools, which has already developed opportunities for rendering and receiving many benefits by Indian pupils and an extension of their service to homes and communities, with the promise of large individual and social gains.

Reclassification.-Under legislation for reclassification the Indian Service will acquire greater permanence and efficiency through a system of increased compensation, equalization of service, and incentive to promotion. Higher standards and a better qualified personnel should follow. Initial adjustments wherever imperfect will be gradually corrected, and when this is effected reduction in the number of employees will be practicable.

Indian land interests.-During the year 642 allotments of land were made to individual Indians, embracing approximately 170,000 acres located on 15 reservations in 8 different States, besides 103 allotments covering about 14,500 acres on the public domain in various States. Of allotments completed and awaiting approval, 1,171 were to Indians on the Fort Belknap Reservation, Mont., embracing about 550,000 acres, and 91 on the Kalispell Reservation, Wash. Allotment work was also begun for the nonremoval Mille Lac Indians in Minnesota and on the mission reservations in California. By order of the President, extension of the trust period was made on over 3,000 allotments in California, Oregon, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. Three tracts, containing 190 acres, were purchased at a cost of $7,650 for homeless Indians in California. Purchase of 800 acres of inherited lands was made, at a cost of $25,450, to supply home sites for 11 Fort Sill Apaches and their families in Oklahoma. Field work was completed for individual allotments to about 180 Ute and Paiute Indians in Utah, formerly under the leadership of Old Posey and Polk. Sales were made of 1,286 alotted tracts aggregating about 125,099 acres. number of approvals of fee patents and competency certificates was 913, covering 106,199 acres. Important progress was effected in the Supreme Court of the United States for the recovery of swamp and overflowed lands in the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota, to which reference was made last year.

The

Important legislation.-By the act of June 4, 1924, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina is authorized to convey all its lands, moneys, and other properties to the United States. in trust for individual allotment thereof and the Secretary of the Interior is empowered to make a new and final tribal roll. This band owns about 60,000 acres. Other legislation extended restrictions against alienation on homestead allotments to Kaw Indians in