KEPOET OF THE SOLICITOR. 



329 



in framing regiilations governing importation of cotton, and to the 

 advisory committee on finance and business methods in completing 

 the revision of the fiscal regulations, in amending the administrative 

 regulations, and in drafting property regulations ; also to the admin- 

 istrative officers of the department generally in revising and pre- 

 paring proposed amendments to sundry other regulations, including 

 those relating to the National Forests, Federal bird reserves, food 

 and drugs, meat inspection, migratory birds, animal quarantines, 

 and plant quarantines. The office participated in a conference with 

 Treasury officials in New York on, and assisted in arranging the de- 

 tails of, the revision of that part of the customs regulations affecting 

 the work of this department. 



Many documents of various kinds, including statements of issues, 

 briefs, and memoranda on legal matters, were prepared, on behalf of 

 the officials of this department, for submission to the Attorney Gen- 

 eral, the Secretary of the Interior, the Comptroller of the Treasury, 

 and officers of other departments. Among the questions were whether 

 the State of Tennessee had the power to make grants of lands in the 

 former Cherokee Indian country in that State, and whether this 

 department is authorized under the Weeks forestry law to purchase 

 lands, the titles to which had their source in those grants; whether 

 timber may be taken free of charge from areas in reclamation with- 

 drawals in National Forests by private parties cooperating with the 

 Reclamation Service in dam construction within the withdrawals, and 

 whether receipts by the Forest Service from sales of timber from such 

 withdrawals should be deposited in the reclamation fund; whether 

 section 4 of the act of February 1, 1905 (33 Stat,, 628), authorizes 

 the use of rights of way thereby granted for the development and 

 utilization of hydroelectric power; whether any part of the moneys 

 appropriated by the Weeks forestry law is available for expenses in 

 the city of Washington of employees of the department engaged in 

 supervision and general administration of the acquisition of lands 

 under that law ; whether appropriations for extermination of noxious 

 animals on National Forests and on the public domain are available 

 for similar purposes on military and Indian reservations; whether, 

 in determining the character of land in a National Forest subject to 

 entry under the mineral laws, it is not necessary to consider the value 

 of the timber on the land as against the value of the minerals therein ; 

 whether an employee suspended pending an investigation of his 

 official conduct may be paid compensation during the period of his 

 suspension, while the investigation is in progress, and whether he 

 may be paid compensation for the period of his suspension, if, upon 

 the completion of the investigation, his restoration to duty is ordered 

 as of the date of his suspension. 



Law work for the Forest Service during the year included han- 

 dling the following cases and other business : 



Claims to lands 724 



Hearings attended 99 



Depositions taken 41 



Briefs prepared and filed__ 83 



Oral arguments 9 



Trespasses : 



Grazing 141 



Timber 74 



Trespasses — Continued. 



Fire 93 



Occupancy 50 



General litigation 23 



Written opinions 611 



Contracts 1, 806 



Proclamations 25 



