The San Francisco call., 1896-11-12
Address by w. II. Ricketts,.

At a meeting of the committee on reso-
lutions in the Palace Hotel last Tuesday
night A. ii. Ricketts, made an able ad-
dress on the mining laws. He said in
part:
which has been presented to this convention
for appropriate action by the Mining and
Scientific Press of this City comprises six bills
and one proposed amenument TO the State
constitution. These bills relate TO the follow
ing subjects:
/. An act relating TO the location, reloca-
ton, manner of recording lode and placer
claims, mill sites, tunnel rights, amount of
work necessary to hold possession of mining
claims and the rights of co-owners thereon.
2. An act relating to removing defacing or
altering landmarks, and amending section
COS, Penal Code
3. An act relating to the robbery of mines
and reduction works, and amending the act OF
1850.
4. An act relating to the purchase of ores.
5. An act relating to liens of mechanics and
others upon real property, and amending Sec
ton 1888. G. c. p
6. constitutional amendment defining
what shall be construed as public uses, and
amending section Ia of article OF the consti-
tuition.
z. An act relating to and defining placer
claims, and amending section 1929 of the
United States Revised Statutes.
California has paid less legislative attention
to the wants of the miner than any mining
State or Territory, although the Federal min
ing law contemplates that its provisions shall
be supplemented by State and Territorial legis-
lation, as well as by the local rules of miners.
All the mining States, except California and
Nevada, and all the mining Territories have
long since enacted general laws relating to the
manner of locating and working mining
clIims.
general mining law of q State Is always
more accessible than district laws, is unlver-
sal in its operation and operative until re-
peaied, and so serves TO give greater stability
to the title OF unpatented mining claims.
1t is perhaps safe to say that fully one-half
of all the recorded notices OF location in this
State would be held to be inadmissible as evil
deuce OF any fact under the rulings of the
into disuse or because the notices affect claims
lying within no organized mining district.
A State law will correct this evil and make a
recorded notice prima facie evidence of the
facts therein contained
The first bin, in numerical order presented
for your consideration provides for the post-
ing, recording the location notice. the con-
tents thereof and the time within which
those. acts shall be performed, to wit: ninety
days from discovery. This gives the locator
time in which to perfect his location
This bill further provides how abandoned
claims may be relocated, and how amended
locations may be made.
This provision enables the mineowner to
have his surface lines determined, obviates
the danger of the shifting of monuments or
the subs ssQuent overlapping OF his claim by
adjoining mine owners or junior locators.
Ihe bill further provides for the "adyertis-
Ing OUT OF delinquent co-owuerS and the
effect as evidence of the record of such pro-
ceedings.
The second bill, in numerical order, is pro-
posed amendment of Section 605 of the Penal
remove 'deface or alter landmarks; pariicu-
larry. the location stakes or monuments OF
mining claim.
The third bill is proposed amendment Of