ACTIVITIES 71 



the Survey of tracts with respect to which entries or applica- 

 tions have been filed in the Land Office now cover virtually 

 all applications for and entries upon lands not yet classified, 

 except homestead and desert land entries, metalliferous min- 

 eral entries, and coal land applications, the investigation of 

 which, both in office and field, is made solely by the General 

 Land Office. 



In its land classification work on applications the Survey 

 makes no field examinations but merely renders an opinion to 

 the General Land Office on the basis of the data already on 

 hand. If these data be inadequate, the necessary field ex- 

 amination is made by the General Land Office itself. 



Operation of Lithographing and Engraving Plant. The 

 operation of a lithographing and engraving plant is listed as 

 one of the activities of the Survey, since this plant is operated 

 not only for the execution of work for the Survey itself, but 

 for other branches of the government as well. The policy 

 of executing work for other services of the government has 

 been adopted in order that the plant of the Survey may be 

 maintained on the scale necessary to perform economically its 

 own special work, to keep its equipment and personnel more 

 continuously employed, and to make possible the concentra- 

 tion of a large force for emergency work for the Survey and 

 for other government bureaus or offices as the demand may 

 arise. The report of the Director of the Survey for the year 

 1 91 7 shows that a large quantity of lithographic work of 

 great variety was performed for the Government Printing 

 Office in printing maps to be incorporated in publications of 

 many departments of the government. Much work was also 

 done directly for other departments and bureaus. The value 

 of the work thus done directly or indirectly for other branches 

 of the government amounted to about $97,000, for which the 

 Survey's appropriation for engraving and printing geologic 

 maps was reimbursed by transfer of credit on the books of 

 the United States Treasury. 



