Arizona republican., 1898-03-18

cure a Patent.
 Secretary Bliss has made an impor- tant amendment to the mineral reg ulations promulgated by the interior department Dec. 15, last. It is of great interest to many of the western states and provides that all applications for mineral patent made and passed to entry before July l, 1898, or which are by protests of adverse claims pre- vented from being passed to entry before that time, where the applica- tion embraces several locations held in common, proof of an expenditure of $500 upon the group will be suffic- tent and an expenditure of that amount need not be shown to have been made upon or for the benefit of each location embraced in the application.
 The above decision will be received with regret and with satisfaction ac- cording to the circumstances. The in dividuals and syndicates who have gone into camps and located large groups of mines will be vel pleased with the order withdrawing the terms of the former decision which required $500 worth of work for each claim patented instead of $500 for a group, while the new order lasts. Those who are opposed to the policy of grab and are content with one or two claims will not be well pleased. They will claim that the original decis on was in favor of the poor prospector who finds the camps and very often develops them. It very often took all he had to do the assessment work on one claim. Tn ad6 f14 require the relinquishment of claims to those who might develop them.
 The ruling made on December 15 by Commissioner Hermann of the general land office was on a mineral entry from the Pueblo land office where a sufficiency of work had not been done to hold all the claims. The commits sioner wrote to the surveyor general here:
 The aggregate value of the improve ments upon said group of claims is shown to be S675. In the first place 1t may be remarked that these i'm provements consist entirely of discov- cry workings. one on each location and it is not shown that the work done upon any one claim tends in any way to develop any other claims of the group.
 Further, paragraph No. 5 of the mining regulations, approved Dec. 15, 1897, provides that:
 Fifty-third-The claimant, either at the time or filing these papers with the register or at any time during the sixty days publication, is required to file certificate of the surveyor gen eral that not less than $500 worth of labor has been expended or improve 1@s more than one claim is included in the application, that an amount equal to $500 for each claim has been expended by the applicant or his grantors, that the plat filed by the claimant is cor rect, and that the field notes of the survey. as filed, furnish such an ac- curet description of the claim as will, if incorporated into a patent, serve to fully identify the premises. and that such reference is made therein to nat ural objects or permanent monuments as will perpetuate and fix the focus thereof.
 In addition to the amendment of the survey. you will require claimants to show, by the report of a deputy min eral surveyor, compliance with the law as construed by said regulations. as basis for further certificate by you.
 Allow claimants sixty days within which to take proper steps hereunder or to show cause why their entry should not be cancelled, advising them that on default and in absence of ap- peal herefrom, said entry will be can celled in it's entirety without further notice.
 In due time report forwarding evil dence of service. Very respectfully,
 RINGER HERMANN, Comm'r.
 When this decision was published there was good deal of discussion among mining men and mining law yers regarding it's effect. While it would have worked hardships in cer- tain cases, the concensus of opinion seemed to be that it would tend to a greater development of the younger camps. The lawyers said the ruling was return to the intent and mean ing of the law