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Show I REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIR& 27 approval February 18,1897, and they were approved February 24,1897. Those schedules contained a total of 713 allotments, distributed in land districts asfollows: Susanville, Oal., 437; Carson City, Nev., 179; Hum-boldt, Cal., 30; Sacramento, Gal., 23; Redding, Cal., 13; Coeur d7A16ne, Idaho,lG; The Dalles, Oreg., 8; and Vancouver, Wash., 7. Of the foregoing allotments, 57 were excepted from approval for the time being, pending the procurement of additional proofs; these schedules will be resubmitted to the Department for approval of such excepted cases as may be found entitled when the proofs are all obtained. February 26,1897, the special allotting agent on duty in this office submitted a schedule embracing 231 allotments to Indians in the Susan-ville, Cal., laud district, which was approved by the Department March 2,1897. June 7,1897, he submitted a schedule containing allot-ments to 137 Indians distributed through seven States and fifteen land districts, the majority in the State of California; it was approved by tho Department Jnne 9,1897. June 12,1897, he certified a list of 12 allotments to Indians in the "Moenwpie Wash," near Tuba City, Ariz., which was approved by the Department August 16,1897. The total number of allotments to nonreservation Indians submitted to the Department during the past year is, therefore, 1,093, and the total nnmber approved is 1,036. The 165 allotments in the vicinity of Fort Bidwell have not yet been rlpbmitted to the Department for approval. With the exception of a few patents to Indians for lands which were allotted before the surveys were extended over them, and which have been adjusted to such surveys made since, no patents have been issued by the General Land Office during the year for lands allotted to non-reservation Indians and none have been sent out by this o&ce for delivery. As indicated in former annual reports, great difficulty is experienced in effecting the delivery of such patents by local land officers, and most of the patents in the hands of such officers a year ago, awaiting delivery, still remain nndelivered. INDIAN HOmSTEADS. Prior to the approval of the general allotment act on February 8, 1887, Indians occasionally sought homes on the public domain under the provisihs of the Indian homestead laws. A few have made entries thereunder since that date. Some have made final proof of their entries and obtained patents for their lands; others, ignorant of the law and the ways of the white man in securing title to lands, have failed to do so. This delay has led to many contests of Indian entries and claims, par-ticularly if the tracta were desirable. The equities in the ease are almost always with the Indian, but on mwunt of his ignorance of the law and the English language, it frequently occurs that aatict enforce-ment of legal technicalities and regulations deprives him of his right9. |