THE SOLICITOE. 785 



field division and special agents of the General Land Office in handling 

 these cases and, as a consequence of the standing secured to tliis 

 office by the joint order of yourself and the Secretary of the Interior 

 of June 25, 1910, in regard to claims to lands in the National Forests, 

 are very frequently required to take action independently of the 

 field officers of the General Land Office. It is gratifying to report 

 that the cooperation between the two departments has not only 

 been productive of splendid results, but has also been most cordial. 

 During the year 662 cases have been decided in favor of the Govern- 

 ment. These involved approximately 100,404 acres of land, sup- 

 porting 416,234,797 board measure feet of timber, valued at S805,270. 

 Cases decided in favor of claimants number 222, or one-tliird of the 

 number decided in favor of the Government. These involved 

 approximately 30,000 acres of land, supporting approximately 

 100,000,000 board measure feet of timber, valued at $250,000. 



Under the joint order of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec- 

 tary of the Interior above referred to, the assistants to the Solicitor 

 are accorded the right of appearing at the hearings in every claims 

 case involving lands in the National Forests for the purpose of par- 

 ticipating in the production and examination of witnesses. In a 

 number of cases tne hearings have been conducted entirely by the 

 assistants to the Sohcitor. These assistants have attended 352 hear- 

 ings during the year and have prepared several sets of questions to be 

 Propounded to witnesses residing m jurisdictions beyond those where 

 earings were held. It is the practice of the district assistants to the 

 Solicitor, as soon after a hearing as possible, to prepare and file with 

 the register and receiver a brief in behalf of the Government. This 

 practice has been somewdiat novel in procedure in claims cases before 

 registers and receivers in that, prior to June 25, 1910, it was rarely 

 the practice of the special agents of the General Land Office to file 

 briefs or argue cases in the local land offices. I am satisfied that 

 fifing these briefs for the consideration of registers and receivers has 

 had a most beneficial effect, since the briefs very frequently present 

 to them phases of the cases which are easily overlooked by an officer 

 examining testimony. The district assistants filed during the year 

 150 briefs in the local land offices. These briefs not only serve as 

 arguments before the registers and receivers but are also transmitted 

 with the records of the cases to the Commissioner of the General Land 

 Office and are again considered. WTien the commissioner has ren- 

 dered his decision, and it appears to the Solicitor that an appeal 

 should be taken in behalf of the Government, if the decision is adverse 

 to it, or that a brief should be filed with the Secretary of the Interior, 

 if the decision is favorable to the Government and an appeal is taken 

 by the claimant, a petition for review accompanied with the brief is 

 prepared and ffied by the Solicitor in the former case, and a brief pre- 

 pared and filed by him in the latter case. The Sohcitor has prepared 

 and filed 69 briefs during the fiscal year, and one of his assistants 

 appeared in oral argument before the Secretary of the Interior in one 

 case. 



Under the joint order of June 25, 1910, heretofore referred to, it 

 was the practice of the department to refer all adverse reports of the 

 Forest Service on claims to lands in the national Sorests to the Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture. The adverse reports made by district foresters 



23165°— AGE 1911 50 



