The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-19
ALASKAN BILLS REPORTED
MEASURES THAT HAVE BEEN FA-
yoRED BY COMMITTEES.
To Prevent Location by Power of
Attorney, to Limit Placer Mining
Claims, to Amend Homestead
Laws and for sundry Purposes.

| Special Dispatch to the Post-Intelligencer
| WASHINGTON. March ls.-The bills re-
| lating TO Alaska which have been favor
| ably reported by the house committee on
/ public lands are:
| House bill sza5 to prohibit the location
/ of mining Gains by power OF attorney
| in the district OF Alaska: house bin s29i
! 10 extend the timber and stone acts to
/ the district Of Alaska: house bin 9296. 20
1 amend the homestead laws Of the dis
/ trict Of Alaska. house bill $3.50. to extend
/ the system OF public surveys 10 the dis
| trict OF Alaska house bin 1896. to limit
/ placer mining claims in the district Of
| Alaska
! House bill e295 has an explanation Of its
! provisions in a report by the committee.
| which says:
Great complaint comes from Alaska OF
| the abuse Of the use Of powers OF attor-
| uey for location Of mining claims. The
| same criticism has occurred in other states
| and territories: but, where the season Of
| work is long. miners meetings have been
| able to provide suitable rules as 10 the
amount Of work to be done, so as 10 com
I pei locat0rs TO expend money on their
claims or else abandon them. Under the
| general law. In the absence of such legis-
/ lation. an entire creek or gulch can be
| tied M from the work by powers Of at
| torney. This method results in the hold
! ing Of large areas for speculative pur-
poses, without work. for year or more
| after the location is hled. In a country
! whore the period Of actual work Is so i'm
! tied by the severity Of the climate, this
| becomes a serious matter, and complaint
IN relation 60 these abuses seems to be
quite general"
| Regarding the limiting OF placer claims
! The ~~smmittee has this 10 say THE
placer mining law now in force In Alaska
Is the same that is in force in the states
| and territories, but in the other localities
! the abuses Of the privilege Of locating
| claims without limit has been minmized-
In Alaska, owing TO the exceeding short
| ness or the season for work. the tying up
| Of every creek and guleh by filings on
| which no work Is required 10 be done for
yesr or more. has worked very greatly
| TO the disadvantage Of the bona fde min
ers. few men will stake an entire creek
| or gulch and then go off and leave II.
| hoping that within the time In which they
| may lawfully do their assessment work
| somebody else may work a discovery in
! the noighhorhood and test the value OF
! their claims without expense to them
Tho abuse is not local to Alaska. but
| with long seasons 10 work in, the regula-
| places 80 conditioned fixes the assess
! ment SO as to prevent the abuse from
| becoming very serious, but in Alaska the
| me- Esity for general legislation on this
| subject seems TO be greater than else
| whore. Your committee is Of the opinion
that one claim on any creek or gulch is
1 all one miner should have in his own
| right, but that the original discoverer
| should have an extra claim We there
fore recommend the passage Of the bill"
| 0ieomargariuc Sandwiches.
| oleomargarine sandwiches we're served
1 the other day To representatives. on the
| house committee on agriculture. A mum
| her OF rural delegates were on hand to ar
| que against the oleomargarine habit and
| TO ask for a law taxing this product out
| o. existence. Secretary knight Of the
| National Dairy Association explained
| mat he had recently been doing a little
| detective work for the benefit OF the com
| mittee and hts representatives had gone
| about chicago and bought alleged butter
| at high prices. when Il was nothing hut
| oieomargariue The lots thus nurc6as@d
| by the detectives were presented to the
! committee as exhibits. Some of the mem
| hers at once expressed curiosity to taste
| the article and thus test it, edible char
acter, A walter was summoned from the
| congressional restaurant and he soon pre-
| pared hountiful dish % sandwiches.
| which looked quite tempting L.oriner OF
| Chicago. where the oloomar garine trust
| thrives, seized a sandwich and ate It
| eagerly. This set the pace and soon ev-
| cry member was chewing oleomargarine
sandwiches and pronounced them first
| rate
During the hearing It was stated that
| the oleomargarine interest Mt Chicago had
the federal officials and the prosecuting
| years with no effort to prosecute. nnd
the authorities decline to make cases
| that Il Will reduce the receipts from the
| oieo tax
Carrier Regi.try system.
a report from the registry division OF
| the Seattle pqstofhce states that during
| TIE first week IN DeCe mher. when the
| new carrier registry system went into
cNect. there Nffe registered and dis
patched through that once 81 nooooo in
| currency direct from banks and eNclu-
! sivt of regular business This amount h
| the largest in the history % the post
| Office, Tho rcport further says that there
| newer has beer week that the office has
| not handled over fiUu. 90 On coin and p4sk d.