The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1889-01-24
NEW MINING BILL,
BY SENATOR STEW
ART, OF NEVADA.
As 1t Will Probably Become a Law
1t Will Interest Those Engaged
IN the Pursuit Of NIinin.-Amount
Of Assessment Work Not Changed.

IN the Pursuit Of MininE-Am0unt
Of Assessment Work Not Changed.
Senator Stewards mining bill, or
substitute for it, is now liable to pass the
Senate this winter. The substitute
limits the amount which one person can
acquire by location on the same vein to
1900 feet. The same may be made by
rne or several locations. It does not
prohibit side locations or locations on
other veins. It denies the right of a
person to relocate a claim which has
been previously located. It strikes out
the requirement that the record of loca-
tion shall contain a reference to some
natural object or permanent monument,
and inserts requirement that the claim
shall be distinctly marked on the ground
by posts or monuments so that all its
boundaries can be readily traced. It re-
quires work to continue until final pay
ment and certificate of entry, and not
until patent is issued as under the
present law The amount Of work
necessary to hold the lode claim Is not
changed, but the substitute bill declares
that for each twenty acres OF placer
claims, and for each subdivision thereof
less than twenty acres, 1925 worth Of
work shall be performed or improve
ments made during each year until the
payment of the purchase money and the
issuance Of the patent. It also provides
that when several adjoining CLAIMS, not
exceeding five, where the same is located
on lode, or placer claims are entered Or
held by the same person, association or
corporation, and 5000 or more is ex-
pended in any one year, in good faith, for
the development of the claims so entered
and held, not exceeding five, there shall
be no requirement for separate labor or
Improvement on tie several claims SO
owned or held during such year"
AS to the time of doing work, the bill
declares that the year within which the
annual labors, or improvements required
to be performed or made, shall com
mence at II o'clock noon on the lst day
of October of each year. Provided that
when claims located prior to the lst day
OF March, the annual labor, or improve
ment, shall be performed for the year
prior to noon Of the lst day of October
next succeeding, and upon claims located
after the last day of February and prior
to noon of the 1st day of October of any
year, the annual labor, OR improve ment
required shall be performed or made
prior to noon of the first day OF the next
following October; and provided further.
that only one-half of the annual labor,
or improvement, required by the bill,
shall be necessary to be performed or
made prior to noon of October l, 1859,
on claims upon which the annual labors.
or Improvement, were performed or
made in the year 1888.
When the labor required by the act
shall have been performed or the I'M
proyement IN de an affidavit shall DO
filed within thirty days after the time
limited tor performing such labor with
the recorder Of the mining district i'll
which such claims are situated, which
affidavit shall be prima facle evidence of
the facts therein stated. Upon the fall-
ure to comply with these conditions the
CLAIMS shall be opened to relocation,
providing the original locator does not
work before such relocation, and continue
such work with reasonable diligence nn-
til he has performed the work required.
The prcse Mt law provides that when ono
of several co-owners fails to perform his
share of work for notice in writing or
by publication for ninety days, and upon
the failure of such d co-Owner to pay Ills
part or tho expenses for doing the an
nual work, that his interest shall be-
come the property of the co-owners, but
does not provide any way IT making that
fact manifest.
The bill provides for recording an al
fidavit showing the service OF notlce
in person or by publication. In making
application for patent the present Ia"
requires two disinterested witnesses to
the fact of posting the application upon
the ground. This bill dispenses with
that requirement. and substitutes tho
affidavit of the claimant, limits ihs ex-
tent of the lode claim which MAY be IN
cluded in patent to 1900 feet, and OF a
placer claim to so acres. The regulations
of the department require the assistants
of the deputy mineral surveyors to bo
sworn. The bill authorizes the deputy
SURVEYORS to administer oaths to their
assistants Tie presen: law provides for
easements such as tunnels and the Ike
through mining claims for the purpose OF
working adjoining claims, leaves 1t to the
States and Territories 70 regulate the
mode of acquiring these easements. Ih'
bill provides that easements shall be ac-
quired in the same manner as prlvato
property is condemned for public use uil-
der the statutes Of eminent domain il the
several States and Territories. 1t also
provides that affidaylts required IN OBJ
tanning patents may be made before any
officer authorized to administer oaths II.
any State or Territory Mining Industry.
NOTICE.