382 Proceedings of the 



of such reservations; that is, to regulate their occu- 

 pancy and use and to preserve the forests thereon from 

 destruction. The act also provides for the sale of so 

 much of the dead, matured or large growth of trees 

 found upon such reservations as may be compatible 

 with the utilization of the forests thereon, and for the 

 free use of such timber and stone on such reservations 

 by bona fide settlers, miners, residents and prospectors 

 for minerals, for firewood, fencing, building, mining, 

 prospecting and other domestic purposes, as may be 

 needed by such persons, but with a proviso that such 

 timber should be used within the State or Territory 

 where such reservations are located. Bona fide set- 

 tlers, residents and prospectors are protected by said 

 act in any rights they may have to any lands within 

 such reservations, and provision was made for the 

 relinquishment of any such claims or lands in com- 

 plete ownership within such boundaries for any vacant 

 public land opened to settlement, not exceeding the 

 area of the tract exchanged. Inasmuch as the care 

 of these reserves was so closely connected with the 

 public land service, the Secretar}^ of the Interior placed 

 the immediate control thereof under the Commissioner 

 of the General Land Office. 



At the date of the passage of this act there were in 

 existence nineteen forest reservations which had been 

 created under the provisions of the Act of 1891, one 

 of which was in Alaska, having an aggregate area of 

 approximately 19,000,000 acres. In addition to these 

 eleven other reservations had been created, which were 

 suspended by Congress from the effects of the Presi- 

 dent's proclamations until March i, 1898, when said 

 lands should become subject to the operation of said 

 proclamations. These reserves had approximately an 

 area of 20,000,000 acres, or a total in both classes of 

 about 39,000,000 acres. 



