OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR. 



473 



The following is a siiiiiniary of the wol'k of the office in connection 

 with the acquisition of lands under the Weeks forestry law: 



Acquisition of lands inuler Weeks forestry law. 



Character of work. 



Tracts. 



Acreage. 



Purchases authorized by National Forest Reservation Commission 



A-^reement s of p.irehase prepared 



Titles in process of examinition at beginning of year 



Examinitions 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 examin ition at end of year 



Completion of direct purchases after approval of titles by Attorney General 

 Completion of parchases of lands acquired by condemnation 



226 



238 



96 



198 

 80 

 37 

 53 

 110 

 107 



127,029.00 

 173,427.00 

 121,796.00 



125,346.07 

 71,215.77 

 24,7.')6.00 



138,725.00 

 71,432.23 



147,905.22 



Three meetings of the National Forest 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 43 bonds, 494 renewals, and 71 terminations 

 of leases were prepared. 



8ix 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 Eegulatory Announcements of the Bureau 

 of Markets, containing instructions, information, and opinions with 

 reference to the statutes administered by that bureau, w^ere examined, 

 and modified or reformed where necessary. The practice was 

 adopted during the year of answering many requests of the various 

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

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

 expediting tlie 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 attorneys. 



Thirty applications for letters patent on inventions of employees 

 of the department for dedication to the public were prepared and 



151352 19 31 



