582 



ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The followinn: is a summary of the work of the office in connection 

 with the acquisition of lands under the Weeks Forestry Law : 



Ac(juiniti(>n of lands uuiler ^]'C(^ks forestry lair. 



Character of work. 



Purchases authorized by National Forest Reservation Commission 



Agreements of purchase prepared 



Titles in process of examination at beginning of year 



Examinations of title 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 end of year 



Completion of direct piuchasc after approval of titles by Attorney General 

 Completion of purchases of lands acquired by condemnation 



Two meetings of the National Forestry Reservation Commission 

 were attended. 



The following table 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 58 bonds, 318. renewals, and 34 terminations 

 of leases and contracts were prepared. 



Eight hundred and twenty-seven formal opinions, including the 

 383 above mentioned for the Forest Service, were rendered to offi- 

 cials, bureaus, divisions, and officers of the department. Numerous 

 letters and service and regulatory announcements of the several 

 bureaus of the department, containing instructions, information, and 

 opinions with reference to the statutes administered by them, were 

 also examined and modified or reformed when necessary. In addi- 

 tion, many requests of the various bureaus for opinions were an- 

 swered by brief written notations on papers containing the request, 

 thus saving time and expediting the answer. Frequently adminis- 

 trative officers of the department were advised in reference to their 

 work in oral conferences, of which no record was made. Sugges- 

 tions with reference to pleadings in approximately 200 food and 

 drugs cases were made for the assistance of United States attorneys, 

 and there were prepared in a number of cases, at the request of 

 United States attorneys, forms of decrees for entry therein by the 

 courts. 



