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Show 16 CONMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. on Indian lands with the consent of the Indians interested. It is believed that improved conditions will obviate the necessity for this course during the coming year. Last year 1,006 original and in-herited allotments embracing 104,814 acres were sold for $2 232 833. There were received 1,306 applications for patents, of which 395 were denied and 911 approved, covering 98.406 acres. There were 186 certificates'of competency issued on 48,423 acres, and 29 removals of restrictions on 1.661 acres. FARMING AND GRAZING LEASE REGULATIONS. Arrangements have recently been made with the Department of cT~~set iw, hereby superintendents in charge of Indian reservations are authorized to submit directly to the proper United States district attorney with full report cases of failure of lessees to pay rentals, r i t h recommendation that suit be instituted to collect same. This has eliminated a great amount of routine correspondence heretofore necessary under the practice requiring superintendents to report these cases to this office, after which they were referred to the office of the Secretary and then to the Department of Juitice. By recent decision of the United States District Court, District of Nebraska, Omaha Division, in the case of United States .u. The Bank of Winnebag-o.. i t was held. in effect. that a lien on croDs not pli~lltt!<\~l( 11110 not take prrvcdmce over a subsequt.nt m~ r t g n g e ' ~ i ~ , e n I n the lessee on such croos un,l t l ~ xtth e C;o\~rrnll~cncto nld not there-f& e enforce the lien claise contained in farming a?d grazing leases as against the mortgagee of such crops. This declsion resulted in amending the leasing regulations so as to requlre all farming and grazing leases to be recorrted in the local recorder's office and also in some States to require the lessees to give notes secured by mortgages given on their crops as soon as planted. RIGHTS OF WAY. HIGHWAY~.-Permission nnder the act of March 3, 1901, has been granted for the opening of over 200 miles of pnbhc highways, not mcluding roads opened in the States of Nebraska. and Idontana nnder the act of nfarch -1. 1915. full authority, to approve nltlps of location filed thereunder having been placed In the hands of the several superintendents as contemplated by the act. X?r~no~l,s.-On November 22, 1921, pemsslon to proceed with the construction of a line of railroad from Hardin to the Soa Creek oil field, Crow Reservation, Mont., was granted to the Aicago. Bnrlingtun & Qnincy Rnilroacl Co. When this line is completed the Soan Creek oil field will be affordecl the transportation facilities so nkcessarv to its early development. POWEPRR OJF,CTP. -TJ~th~e~ F~e deral water power act of June 10. 1920, as amended by the nct of March 3, 1921, a grant was made to the Wisconsin-Minnesota Power & Light Co. involving the flow-age of approximately 300 acres of tribal land ~ i t h i nth e Lac Courte Oreille Indian Reservation. X7is. At a hearing and council held at Reserve, the tribe expressed opposition to the project upon any terms or conditions whatever. Ho ~ e v e r t,h e benefits which would result to the public from the equalization of the stream flow of the Chip- |