OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR. 



473 



Tlie folloAvhig is a summary of the work of the office In connection 

 with tlie acquisition of lands under the ^Veeks forestry hiAv : 



Acquisition of lands under Weeks forestry law. 



Character of work. 



Tracts. 



Purchase'! authorize J by Nation il Forest Reservation Commission 



A'ireements of purchase prepared 



Titles in process of examination at be?innin? of year 



Examin It ions of titles completed and reported to Department of Justice: 



Purchases recommended 



Condemnations recommended 



Titles approved by Attorney General and in process of adjustment 



Titles in process of examination at on 1 of year 



Completion of direct purchases after approval of titles by ,\ttorney General 

 Completionof purchases of Ian Is acquired by condemnation 



226 



23S 

 96 



19,S 



SO 



37 



53 



110 



107 



Acreage. 



127,029.00 

 173,427.00 

 121,796.00 



125,346.07 

 71,215.77 

 24, 756. 00 



138, 72.5. 00 

 71,432.23 



147,905.22 



Tliree meetinos of the National Forest Reservation Commission 

 ■were attended. 



The folloAving tal)]e shows the number of contracts and leases pre- 

 pared or examined for sufficiency and proper execution for the va- 

 rious bureaus, divisions, and offices of the department : 



Contracts and leases prepared or examined. 



- During the fiscal year 43 bonds, 494 renewals, and 71 terminations 

 of leases were prepared. 



Six hundred and ninety-four written opinions, including the 233 

 above mentioned for the Forest Service, were rendered to the officials, 

 bureaus, divisions, and offices of the department. In addition, numer- 

 ous letters and Service and Regulatory Announcements of tlie Bureau 

 of ^larkets, containing instructions, information, and opinions with 

 reference to the statutes administered by that bureau, were examined, 

 and modified or reformed where necessary. The practice was 

 adopted during the year of answering many requests of the various 

 bwreaus of the department for opinions by brief hand-written nota- 

 tions on the papers containing the requests, thus saving time and 

 expediting the answer. Xo record was kept of these informal 

 opinions. A large portion of advice given administrative officials of 

 the department was in oral conferences, of which also no record was 

 made. Suggestions with reference to pleadings in 150 food and drugs 

 cases were made for the assistance of United States attornej^s. 



Thirtv applications for letters patent on inventions of emploj^ees 

 of the department for dedication to the public were prepared and 



101352°— 10 31 



