The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-09
THE CONTESTS.
Mineral Land and Railway Land Will BE
Discussed.

Mineral Land and Railway Land Will BE
Discussed.
Missoula, Nov. S.-The final adjourn
ment of the mineral land commission
for the year leaves the results of their
work, as far as benefit to the state is
concerned, very much in doubt. None
of the protests of the Northern Pacifc
company against the classification of
lands made by the commission have
yet been heard in the land office and II
remains to be seen whether the depart
ment will place the same construction
upon the rules of the commissioners
that has been decided upon by the
commissioners themselves. The rules
formulated by the department to gov
ern the action of the commission in its
examination and classification OF the
railroad lands are somewhat ambigu-
Gus, and do not not define at all clear
ly the term. mineral lands"
The commissioners. after a confer
ence with the members of other boards,
decided to construe the regulations to
mean that any subdivision of land
which contains unmistakable signs of
mineral, should be classed as mineral
land. No means are at the disposal OF
the board to determine whether or not
mineral exists in paying quantities, nor
is IL their province to do so. If there
is mineral on the land. the land is min
eral. 1t is not known precisely upon
what ground the contests are to be
made. but it is stated that the claim
will be set up that, even though miner
al may occur in small quantities upon
a 40-acre tract, unless that mineral is
in paying quantities, the land cannot
be classed as mineral land. This much
is conjecture to a great extent, but
from statements that have been made
by those interested, 1t is inferred that
fc
contests, at least, will be made.
AS far as the work of the commission
is concerned, Ii has been thorough and
conscientious. The members of the
board have carefully examined all
lands upon which they have reported
and have done their best to protect the
rights of the people to. the mineral
lands. Their work in this respect
leaves little to be desired. They have
Travelled over all sorts of country in all
sorts of weather and have lived in all
sorts Of ways. They have journeyed
on foot, on horseback, in wagons, in
boats and in cars and have covered
thoroughly the ground which they have
gone over.
Much of their work has been render
ed extremely difficult by the failure of
the department to cooperate willingly
with them and IL has been evident from
the very beginning Of their operations
that the department is not in sym
pathy with the plan of their work.
This has been made apparent in many
little ways. Delays innumerable have
resulted from the indifference of the
department and through the press, the
general commissioners has misrepre-
scented their work and it's results. The
cost of the examination and classical
ton of lands by the boards has been
comparatively trifling. the figures by
the board showing an expense of less
than cents per acre. Yet the COM
missioner of the general land office has
announced that the work costs rs cents
an acre.
The results of the contests which
have been and will be instituted will
be watched with interest. If the de-
partment at Washington continues to
manifest an unfriendly spirit, II is
doubtful II much benefit will result
from the work. The first contest in the
local Office will be heard early next
month.