deal of the success is due to the assistance and advice which have been received from these officers.

ALASKA SURVEYS.

The duty of making subdivisional surveys in Alaska was assigned to this bureau during the last winter, and active preparations were set on foot to place as many parties in the field as the nature of the country and the demands of settlers would justify.

Three centers were decided upon at which to begin operations— Fairbanks, Chitina, and Seward. A double party, comprising a surveyor at the head of each party and an associate transitman in charge of an auxiliary party-in all, six parties were equipped and received instructions the latter part of April in Seattle, leaving for the field early in May.

The Geological Survey had begun this work the previous year and had subdivided an area in the vicinity of Fairbanks. This region was occupied in May by a double party under this office and the sectionizing of the land continued. No report has yet been received of the acreage surveyed by them near this place, and only partial reports have come in as to the progress made by the other four parties.

However, a report has been received from Surveyor Warner of the work with this double party in the Copper River country, showing an area of 66,000 acres subdivided, and it is assumed that the other parties will have accomplished an equal amount before the season closes.

If this be correct, an aggregate output of 200,000 acres will be accomplished for the season's work, which, with the many difficulties to be encountered in that remote region, is submitted as an excellent result and one only to be accomplished by the most careful and energetic management.

Geodetic ties were made last year connecting two of the independent systems, and by the aid of an astronomer of the Coast and Geodetic Survey the remaining system (Copper River) was geodetically determined this year.

TEXAS-NEW MEXICO BOUNDARY.

Congress having passed a resolution providing for the retracing and monumenting of the boundary line between Texas and New Mexico as surveyed by J. H. Clark in 1859, the work was assigned to this office and began in April last.

Two parties were put into the field on the east and south boundaries under the direction of one of the supervisors of surveys of this office, Arthur D. Kidder, and the work was vigorously prosecuted through the summer, with the result that at the time of writing this report,

October 7, the field work was completed, which consists of careful retracing of the line as monumented by Clark, running the random lines between his corners (which were irregularly placed and very insufficiently marked, consisting as they did of only heaps of stones, rendering the identification extremely difficult), and afterwards establishing the true line between these points and erecting on the site of the old monuments very substantial cylindrical pillars made of cement and surmounted by brass caps firmly embedded in the cement, and suitably inscribed with the date of the reestablishment and the names of the two States. The commissioners appointed by Texas and the Government accompanied these parties.

In addition to the concrete monuments, of which 36 were set, mile corners were established, consisting of tubular iron posts flanged at the bottom, filled with cement, and capped with brass heads firmly riveted to the top and marked with the number of miles and the date of the reestablishment.

These metal monuments at the end of each mile were employed as the most desirable re-marking of the line that could be devised and are especially adapted to the character of the country. It is believed that the settlers upon the adjacent lands will have no difficulty in the future in identifying the exact location of the State line.

The hiatus between the thirty-third and thirty-fourth parallels, left unsurveyed by Clark, was closed by the establishment of an oblique line connecting the termini in accordance with the provisions of the joint resolution by methods agreed upon by the commissioners upon the ground.

This important work was authorized by Senate Joint Resolution No. 124, approved February 16, 1911, under the terms of which two commissioners, Hon. Francis M. Cockrell, appointed by the President, and Hon. Samuel R. Scott, appointed by the governor of Texas, supervised and directed the field operations.

The sum of $20,000 was appropriated by Congress for this work, and I am glad to state that the expense of reestablishing this 530 miles of line so completely and conspicuously monumented will not exceed the appropriation. This result has been attained by pursuing the most economical business methods in procuring supplies and in managing the prosecution of the work so that no time should be lost or needless expenditures incurred.

The instruments used on the work were loaned by this office, but aside from that the expense of the reestablishment, including the compensation of the commissioner on the part of the Government, has been paid from the fund provided by Congress except that on the south boundary the party in charge employed Government teams. The field notes and maps are now being prepared in triplicate for the approval of the commissioners and acceptance by you, and thereafter filing in this office and those of the State and Territory interested.

CAREY ACT.

A conservative estimate would indicate that there will be 4,000,000 acres included in segregation lists for Carey Act projects during the coming year. During the last fiscal year there were examined in the neighborhood of 1,650,000 acres of selections by the various Carey Act land States. There have already been withdrawn under the act of March 15, 1910, for Carey Act exploration and survey, 3,500,000 acres. While a small amount of this land will probably be relinquished, the greater part of it will be included in segregation lists during the coming year.

Under present practice investigation in the field of lands withdrawn for Carey Act projects is a very thorough one. Not only is the question of adaptibility for irrigation of the lands selected gone into very thoroughly, but the mineral character of the land is also investigated and the question as to whether or not sufficient rights can be obtained to provide water for the lands to be irrigated. The General Land Office has in its force competent engineers who are detailed to perform this duty. The records of the office show that their reports are exhaustive, and all the features necessary to protect the interests of the United States thoroughly covered. The necessity for this thorough investigation is amply shown by the difficulties which ensued from the insufficient examination made prior to the amended regulations now in force.

The work upon Carey Act projects heretofore approved is progressing rapidly in all directions, and it is an assured fact that a large number of lists for patent will be received during the coming year which, like the segregation lists, must be promptly investigated and reported upon. I have been informed by a number of Arizona people who are interested in the Carey Act that there is no doubt that the next legislature of that State will accept the provisions of the Carey Act as soon as possible after it convenes. It is also assured by them that at least 10 segregation lists are all ready for filing as soon as the State (or Territory) accepts the provisions of the act.

RESERVOIR DECLARATORY STATEMENTS.

Owing to a recent decision of the department that where a reservoir under the act of January 13, 1897 (29 Stat., 484) covered only a portion of one or two smallest legal subdivisions, the applicant is not necessarily entitled to the full 160 acres unless it be shown that such amount is actually necessary for the support and maintenance of the reservoir, it has become necessary to call upon the field force to investigate the conditions surrounding these applications with a view to determining just how much it is necessary to segregate in connection with the reservoir. This is practically a new class of field examination, and will probably grow larger.

RIGHTS OF WAY.

The work devolving upon the field force of investigating approved right-of-way applications under the acts of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat., 1095), May 11, 1898 (30 Stat., 404), February 15, 1901 (31 Stat., 790), and February 1, 1905 (33 Stat., 628), for irrigation, power, and other purposes, where the approvals are over 5 years old, with a view to obtaining forfeiture if not constructed, will be much heavier during the coming year than ever before. The field service will be called upon to investigate all approved right-of-way applications under the act of March 3, 1875 (18 Stat., 482), for the purpose of determining whether they have been constructed, and if not, whether they are forfeited under the act of June 26, 1906 (34 Stat., 482) and the act of February 25, 1909 (35 Stat., 647), and if found so subject to forfeiture, to clear the record of them.

RAILROAD SELECTIONS.

The work relative to railroad selections for patent, either because the lands are within the primary limits of the grant, and are selected as indemnity for losses within the primary limits, or as an indemnity under the act of 1898, is constantly increasing. The work of the field service is augmented accordingly. The work is being increased not because more land is selected but because the lists are smaller. Heretofore a list of from 200,000 to 300,000 acres was a common thing and could be disposed of in large lists for patent; now the lists range from 40 to 1,000 acres usually. It is nearly as much work to investigate one 40-acre list, so far as the mechanical part of it is concerned, as to examine a 10,000-acre list. The field service naturally feels this, as in the examination of a large list the tracts are all contiguous and can be examined at the same time, while the examination of one 40-acre tract or 80-acre tract will take nearly as much time as is necessary to examine a 5,000-acre or 10,000-acre tract.

RECLAMATION WORK.

The absence of precedents and the novel character of questions which have arisen in the administration of the reclamation act, have necessitated careful consideration by this office and close supervision by the local land officers. Much time has been given to instructing the local officers in the matter of collecting water-right charges, and executing the new water-right contracts, as well as the more general questions that have arisen.

A new form of contract for use in the sale of water for lands in private ownership has been adopted, intended to afford additional security to the United States, in the form of a direct lien on the lands irrigated; and the accounting system in connection with the

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payment of water-right charges under the reclamation act has been revised to meet the changed conditions and the rapidly increasing collections.

COLLECTION OF WATER-RIGHT CHARGES.

The law provides for the collection of water-right charges on lands within reclamation projects by the receivers for the local land offices, who deposit the same to the credit of the reclamation fund. In most instances the local land offices are considerable distance from the projects, and the department has permitted the payments to be made to the project engineer, who transmits the money collected to the local land office. The project engineer acts only as agent for the water users and the payments are not considered as made until the local land office has received the same. The water users are required to pay the cost of sending the money, so collected, by money order to the local land office.

In order that the project engineer may be informed at all times as to the right of any water user to the use of water, it is necessary for the local land office to send him copies of all notices requiring payments of water-right charges, receipts of payments, and all letters tending to affect the status of entries or water rights. Both the project engineer and the local land office keep accounts of water-right payments for the same project, and the General Land Office keeps separately complete records for all projects.

The work would be very much simplified by a provision of law authorizing a local reclamation official to collect the water-right charges, and deposit the same to the credit of the reclamation fund. The Reclamation Service could report to the General Land Office entries which should be canceled because of failure to pay the charges. This would relieve the Land Office of a large amount of work without very materially increasing the work of the Reclamation Service. It would be much more convenient for the water users, and also the local reclamation officials, being on the ground, are in possession of valuable information as to conditions of crops, individuals, and other matters affecting the time when payments should be required, which the Land Office can not obtain without special investigation.

STATE SELECTIONS.

There were pending June 30, 1911, State and Territorial selections aggregating, in round numbers, 1,900,000 acres, practically all requiring examination in the field.

There were received during the year ending June 30, 1911, selections to the amount of 523,636.16 acres; and during the year ended June 30, 1910, selections to the amount of 1,406,326.31 acres were received.

Upon the admission of Arizona and New Mexico, they will be entitled to select 4,700,000 acres, the aggregate of their specific grants,