The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-04-11
EACH is DIFFERENT.
Some Difficulties Encountered in Deal
ings With Land OFFICES.

ings With Land Offices.
From. Wednesdays Daily Gazette.
"One would naturally suppose that
the mode OF procedure In all United
States land offices was the same all
being under the Jurisdiction and au-
thority Of the secretary Of the interior,
but each Office seems to have It's own
way Of doing certain things"
The author of the remarks quoted.
a gentleman Of this city, whose duties
throw him more or less in contact with
the particular branch of the general
government Of which he was speak
ing, was entertaining a couple Of his
friends last evening By telling them
Of some Of the troubles that the at
torneys and others would escape
should Senator Gibson's bill for the
'.reation of a second new land district
be successful. Usually the govern
ment is more particular and exacting
in the matter Of compliance with
modes and forms than even the courts
themselves, strict as they may appear
10 some people," he continued. "But
this does not hold good in the al
OF the land offices in this state.
Just as an illustration of what
| have been trying to get at we'll take
the case OF, papers transmitted by the
clerk of the district court, who, as you
know, under the law has the author
ity to hear testimony in support of
final proofs, act for the register and
receiver in the matter of original en-
tries, and in various other ways per-
form the duties OF a sort of deputy
to those officials. The tf1ce at Lewis
town requires all papers submitted to
it to be briefed, that is, have a short
analysis of the nature Of their on
tents written on the backs. The one
at Bozeman is equally as insistent that
there shall be NJ briefing of any sort,
while the one at Miles City, as a sort
of happy medium, / suppose, requires
briefing of a part of the papers sent
to it. The funny thing about the whole
matter is that each claims to be act
ing in accordance with instructions
from the general land office at Wash
ington. II such is really the case,
the only explanation Of the different
requirements of each in this regard
that I a give is that while all must
1snrnrf n. %ho rororo1 nJW~A3a - n4I
Office is assigned to some particular
clerk or chief through whose hands
it's business must pass before it final
~ reaches the commissioner general.
"Then there is another matter, i'm
possible though it may seem, which
at times is the source of considerable
trouble and annoying delay. Occasion
ally it happens that somebody wants
to file on a piece of 'and located in
some out-of-way place. The map shows
it to be within the boundary of, say
the Lewistown district. The filings
are e n to that office, only to be re-
turned with the information that the
entry would have to be made in the
Bozeman office. Back come the pa
pers again from Bohemian with the en-
dorsement that Miles City is the prop
er Office to receive the entry. One
would think that the map was correct,
but it seems it is not.
with the formation of a new land
lngs as it's headquarters n%shrdlora
district in this part of the state and
with Billings as it's headquarters all
these troubles, and others that l have
not touched upon would vanish. It
would prove a matter of convenience
to settlers, attorneys and all others
having business with the land depart
ment."