| OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COWJIISBIONER 01" INDIAN AFFAIRS.. 23 NONRESERVATION INDIANS. Allotments.-The work of making allotments to nonreser;.ation Indians has been continued in the field by Special Allotting Agent Bernard Arntzen. He has made 361 allotments since receiving his instructions, July 17, 1893. In addition .to this work, Agent Arutzen ha8 looked after Indian homestead contest cases before various local land officers, and adjusted the allotments to the Kootenai Indiansiu thevicinity of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, so as to make them conform to the public surveys (the allot-ments there having been made first on unsurveyed lands). He has also been called upon to investigate the fishery difficulties at The Dalles, Oreg., invoIving the rights of the Yakima Indians, under their treaty of 1866, to fish in the waters of the Columbia River, and. to use lands for ingress and egress and drying purposes. Since my last annual report the General Land Office has transmitted to this offlce for consideration and aetion 1213 Indian allotment applica-tions under the fourth section of the general allotment act as amended by the act of qebruary P8,1891 (26 Stats., 794). There are now ready for transmittal to the Department, for consideration and approval, 650 allotments unrler the said fourth section; 61 others were forwarded there May 10, last, and were approved on the 11th of that month. The remainder of the allotment applications on file in this office will receive the early attention of the special allotting agent on duty here. Nonreservation Indians, realizing the fact that the unappropriated public lands are rapidly disappearing, are making eflorts to find lands which may be secured astheir homes. Whites have settled every-where, and circumscribed their territory; they are hemmed in on all sides and must adopt the ways of civilization or periah. Patents.-During the present year the f i s t patents for lands allotted to nonreservation Indians wnder the fourth section of the general allot-ment act, as amended by the aot of February 28,1891, have been deliv-ered. This office transmits the patents to the register and receiver of the U. 5. laud office embracing the land covered by the respective patents, and said officer delivers the same to the parties entitled thereto. Receipts for patents delivered, prepared by this office and filled out ready for signature, are taken by the local land officers in duplicate, one copy being forwarded by them to this office. This course is in moordance with Department instructions, dated February 5,1894, to the Commissioner of the General Land Office and with the latter's cir-cular ietter, dated February 24,1894, addressed to the registers and receivers of the several U. 5. land offices, directing them receive such patents from this office and to deliver the same and trikedupli-cate receipts therefor. They are also directed to report to this office at the end of ea6h quarter the number of patents delivered during the quarter (forwarding receipts therefor); also the number, if any, atill |
