158 



CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



Secretary of the Interior is approximately 1,071,- 

 881,002 acres, of which 917,135,880 acres are undis- 

 posed of and 154,745,782 acres have been reserved 

 for various purposes. The public lands disposed of 

 during the year amount to 13,453,887.90 acres, in- 

 cluding 62,4*23.09 acres of Indian lands, an increase 

 of 4,271,474.80 acres over the preceding year. The 

 total receipts from the sale of public lands during 

 the fiscal year were $4.379,758.10, an increase of 

 $1,309,620.76 over the preceding year. 



The results obtained from our forest policy have 

 demonstrated its wisdom and the necessity in the 

 interest of the public for its continuance and in- 

 creased appropriations by the Congress for the 

 carrying on of the work. On June 30, 1900, there 

 were 37 forest reserves, created by presidential 

 proclamations under section 24 of the act of 

 March 3. 1891, embracing an area of 46,425,529 

 acres. 



During the past year the Olympic Reserve, in 

 the State of Washington, was reduced 205,040 

 acres, leaving its present area at 1,923,840 acres. 

 The Prescott Reserve, in Arizona, was increased 

 from 10,240 acres to 423,680 acres, and the Big 

 Horn Reserve, in Wyoming, was increased from 

 1,127,080 acres to 1,180,800 acres. A new reserve, 

 the Santa Ynez, in California, embracing an area 

 of 145,000 acres, was created during this year. On 

 Oct. 10, 1900, the Crow Creek Forest Reserve, in 

 Wyoming, was created, with an area of 56,320 

 acres. 



At the end of the fiscal year there were on the 

 pension roll 993,529 names, a net increase of 2,010 

 over the fiscal year 1899. The number added to 

 the rolls during the year was 45,344. The amount 

 disbursed for army pensions during the year was 

 $134,700,597.24, and for navy pensions $3,761,- 

 533.41, a total of $138,462,130.65, leaving an un- 

 expended balance of $5,542,768.25 to be covered 

 into the Treasury, which shows an increase over 

 the previous year's expenditure of $107,077.70. 

 There were 684 names added to the rolls during 

 the year by special acts passed at the first session 

 of the Fifty-sixth Congress. 



The act of May 9, 1900, among other things pro- 

 vides for an extension of income to widows pen- 

 sioned under said act to $250 per annum. The 

 Secretary of the Interior believes that by the 

 operations of this act the number of persons pen- 

 sioned under it will increase and the increased an- 

 nual payment for pensions will be between $3,000,- 

 000 and $4,000,000. 



The Government justly appreciates the services 

 of its soldiers and sailor's by making pension pay- 

 ments liberal beyond precedent to them, their 

 widows and orphans. 



There were 36,540 letters patent granted, includ- 

 ing reissues and designs, during the fiscal year 

 ended June 30, 1900; 1,660. trade-marks, 682 labels, 

 and 93 prints registered. The number of patents 

 which expired was 19,988. The total receipts for 

 patents were $1,358,228.35. The expenditures 

 were $1,247,827.58, showing a surplus of $110,- 

 400. i 7. 



The attention of the Congress is called to the 

 report of the Secretary of the Interior touching the 

 necessity for the further establishment of schools 

 in the Territory of Alaska, and favorable action 

 is invited thereon. 



Much interesting information is given in the 

 report of the Governor of Hawaii as to the prog- 

 ress and development of the islands during the 

 period from July 7, 1898, the date of the approval 

 of the joint resolution of the Congress providing 

 for their annexation, up to April 30, 1900, the date 

 of the approval of the act providing a government 

 for the Territory, and thereafter. 



The last Hawaiian census, taken in the year 

 1896, gives a total population of 109,020, of which 

 31,019 were native Hawaiians. The number of 

 Americans reported was 8,485. The results of the 

 Federal census, taken this year, show the islands 

 to have a total population of 154,001, showing an 

 increase over that reported in 1896 of 44,981, or 

 41.2 per cent. 



There has been marked progress in the educa- 

 tional, agricultural, and railroad development of 

 the islands. 



In the Territorial act of April 30, 1900, section 

 7 of said act repeals chapter xxxiv of the civil 

 laws of Hawaii, whereby the Government w r as to 

 assist in encouraging and developing the agricul- 

 tural resources of the republic, especially irriga- 

 tion. The Governor of Hawaii recommends legis- 

 lation looking to the development of such water- 

 supply as may exist on the public lands, with a 

 view of promoting land settlement. The earnest 

 consideration of the Congress is invited to this- 

 important recommendation and others, as em- 

 bodied in the report of the Secretary of the Inte- 

 rior. 



The director of the census states that the work 

 in connection with the twelfth census is progress- 

 ing favorably. This national undertaking, ordered 

 by the Congress each decade, has finally resulted 

 in the collection of an aggregation of statistical 

 facts to determine the industrial growth of the 

 country, its manufacturing and mechanical re- 

 sources, its richness in mines and forests, the num- 

 ber of its agriculturists, their farms and products,, 

 its educational and religious opportunities, as well 

 as questions pertaining to sociological conditions. 



The labors of the officials in charge of the bureau 

 indicate that the four important and most desired 

 subjects namely, population, agricultural, manu- 

 facturing, and vital statistics will be completed 

 within the limit prescribed by the law of March 3, 

 1899. 



The field work incident to the above inquiries 

 is now practically finished, and as a result the 

 population of the States and Territories, including 

 the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska, has been an- 

 nounced. The growth of population during the 

 last decade amounts to over 13,000,000, a greater 

 numerical increase than in any previous census in 

 the history of the country. 



Bulletins will be issued as rapidly as possible 

 giving the population by States and Territories,, 

 by minor civil divisions. Several announcements 

 of this kind have already been made, and it is- 

 hoped that the list will be completed by Jan. 1. 

 Other bulletins giving the results of the manufac- 

 turing and agricultural inquiries will be given to 

 the public as rapidly as circumstances will admit. 



The director, while confident of his ability to- 

 complete the different branches of the undertaking 

 in the allotted time, finds himself embarrassed by 

 the lack of a trained force properly equipped for 

 statistical work, thus raising the question whether 

 in the interest of economy and a thorough execu- 

 tion of the census work there should not be re- 

 tained in the Government employ a certain num- 

 ber of experts, not only to aid in the preliminary 

 organization prior to the taking of the decennial 

 census, but in addition to have the advantage in 

 the field and office work of the bureau of trained 

 assistants to facilitate the early completion of this 

 enormous undertaking. 



I recommend that the Congress at its present 

 session apportion representation among the several 

 States as provided by the Constitution. 



The Department of Agriculture has been ex- 

 tending its work during the past year, reaching 

 farther for new varieties, of seeds and plants; co- 



