28 FOREST POLICY. 



The mineral lands sold by the United States in 1902 cover 97,658 

 acres. 



The so-called " State Selections " amounted, in 1902, to 1,458,371 

 acres; the "Railroad Selections" to 1,931,905 acres; the "Swampland 

 Patents" to 88,639 acres. 



In toto, during 1902, 19,-488,535 acres were appropriated. 



The cash sales comprised in this figure aggregate only i, 757,593 

 acres of land. On an average the Ufiited States dispose annually of 

 15,000,000 acres of land. 



The Hansbrougli Bill, in November, 1903, considered by the 

 Senate of the United States, attempts to annull the provisions of the 

 timber and stone act and to withdraw all absolute forest land from 

 entry, containing the following provisions: 



(l.) TIMBER AND STONE. 



1. Method of sale is auction through Secretary of the Interior, 

 after public advertising. 



2. The acreage, kind and quality of stumpage oflfered, the rules 

 of logging, further, the period of removal, is left to the discretion of 

 the Secretary. 



3. The approved highest bidder is not allowed to assign his pur- 

 chase rights thereafter. 



(II.) entry: 



1. Land of absolutely forestal character is withdrawn from home- 

 stead entry, lieu-land or State selection, public sale, etc. 



2. The federal government hereafter retains the fee-simple in all 

 absolute forest land. 



3. Only actually agricultural land, non-mineral and non-timbered, 

 can be homesteaded or entered under desert land act. 



(III.) lieuland: 



Lieu selections of owners or claimants of interior holdings h\ 

 forest reserves are restricted to vacant, non-mineral, surveyed land 

 not chiefly valuable for its timber. 



Vacant timber land of the United States, not reserved nor in 

 parks, is utilized as follows: 



1. General Land Office delegates Special Agents for protection, 

 legal proceedings, examinations, reports, etc. In 1902, only 63 agents 

 were employed on the vacant public lands, a staff entirely inadequate 

 to enforce the laws. 



2. Homestead (and preemption) claimants, like tenants, may cut 

 timber to clear land and to build houses; on the other hand, no tim- 

 ber must be sold, until patent is issued. 



3. Secretary of Interior may authorize Indians to sell dead and 

 down timber on Indian reservations. 



4. Residents of the Rocky Mountain States may cut, for individual 

 purposes and not. for sale, timber of 7 inches and over diameter stock- 

 ing on mineral land. (Mesquit, however, can be thus cut for sale.) 

 Where land is non-mineral, residents have no chance to cut or pur- 

 chase timber, and are forced to trespass on public lands. 



