295 



lations, as required in such cases. It shall also include the special study and com- 

 pilation of forest laws, and reports and correspondence upon Federal and State 

 legislation. 

 OFFICE OF CLAIMS. 



This Office will administer all matters relating to claims upon National Forests, 

 including the final scrutiny of Forest officers' reports and the submission of such 

 reports to the Department of the Interior. This Office shall have supervision over all 

 questions relating to claims procedure upon National Forests except hearings in 

 claims contests, which are handled by the Law Officer; and except the transmission 

 of appeals, which are prepared by the Office of Claims upon scrutiny of the records in 

 the General Land Office, and which are thereafter handled by the Law Officer. This 

 Office will also administer all matters relating to the Act of June 11, 1906, the acquisi- 

 tion of administrative sites and additions to and eliminations from National Forests 

 by proclamation or otherwise. 



Respectfully, 



(Signed) HENRY S. GRAVES, 



Forester. 

 APPROVED: 



(Signed) JAMES WILSON, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



Claims: Status 



The requests to the Forester for status in the General Land Office at Washington , 

 D. C., should be made on Form 31-2 by changing the words " Register and Receiver'' 

 to "Forester." The use of letters in making requests for status should be discon- 

 tinued. Any explanation may be made by an accompanying memorandum. The 

 requisitions will be returned with the status report. At the end of each year the 

 District Forester wil report the number of requests for status made upon the Forester, 

 since no record whatever will be kept in the Washington office. No requests for 

 status should be addressed to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Wash- 

 ington, D. C., by the District Foresters, but they may be made to the local land 

 offices as heretofore. 

 Contested Claims: Appeals 



As soon as a decision has been rendered against the United States in a Forest 

 Service contested claims case by the Register and Receiver of a local land office, the 

 papers in the case should be forwarded to the Forester with a statement that the 

 Register and Receiver have decided against the United States. If possible, a copy 

 of the Register's and Receiver's opinion should also be forwarded. A memorandum 

 showing the Service's standpoint in the case would be very helpful. In all such 

 cases the records of the General Land Office will be scrutinized in connection with 

 the papers in the case, and if the decision is believed to be erroneous, a statement 

 will be prepared for the consideration of the Commissioner of the General Land 

 Office. 

 Claims, Favorable Reports 



The Commissioner of the General Land Office has requested the Forester to dis- 

 continue forwarding favorable reports upon claims within the National Forests 

 except where a special request for a particular report has been made by the Commis- 



