The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-01-18
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18, 1905.
TO AMEND HOMESTEAD LAW.

A bill introduced In congress las
week by Representative j. NJ. Dixor
is of considerable interest to citizens
of northern Montana. 1t corresponds
with an act passed at the last session
under which homesteads upon arid
lands in western Nebraska may in.
clude GAO acres, and reads and follows:
Be 1t n acted by the senate and house
Of representatives of the United States
OF America in congress assembled,
That from and after sixty days after
the approval of this act entries made
under the homestead laws in the state
of Montana shall not exceed in area
six hundred and forty.acres, and shall
be as nearly compact inform as pos
sibie, and in no event over two miles
in extreme length: Provided, that
there shall be excludedIfrom the pro-
visions of this act such lands within
the territory herein described as in the
opinion of the secret ary.of the interior
it may be reasonably practicable to
irrigate by mean of water conducted,
by ordinary and usuallmethods of ir.
rigation, from natural streams by
gravity: and that said secretary shall,
prior to the date above mentioned,
designate and exclude from entry un-
der this act the lands which in his
opinion it may be possible to irrigate
as aforesaid: And provided, that the
lands in CusterSand Observation-Disclosures,
Montana. opened to settlement under
and by virtue of the act of congress
approved Aprill twe~nty.seventh, nine.
teen hundred and four, and the lands
In Missoula and..Flathead counties,
Montana.S opened to settlement under
and by virtue of the act of congress
approved April twenty-third, nineteen
hundred and four, shall not be subject
to the provisions of this act.
Sec. ,. That %entrymen under the
homestead laws of the United States
residing within the territory above de-
scribed who now own and OCCUPY
lands within said territory and whose
previous homestead entries were situ-
ated west of the one hundredth meri.
dian OF longitude west from Green.
wich and a ofithe crest of the Cas-
cade mountains may, under the pro.
visions of this act and subject to its
conditions, enter other lands contigu-
Gus to their present holdings, which
shall not, with the land SO already en-.
tered, exceed in the aggregate six hun.
dred and forty lacres; and residence
upon the original homesteads shall be
accepted as equivalent to residence
upon the additional land 80 entered,
but final entry shall not be allowed of
such additional land until five years
after first entering the same: Pro.
vided that persons owning lands with.
in the area embraced by this act
who may be eligible tosmake q home.
stead entry by authority hereof shall
have preferenceLiright to enter any
lands contiguous to their holdings for
thirty days from and after the date
Of the approval hereof. In case
OF conflict between applicants for such
additional entry of contiguous lands
as herein provided, priority Of appli.
cation within such period OF thirty
days shall govern, except that, as be.
tween applicants wholhave.made home
stead entries within the AREA covered
by the provisions of this act and those
who have made such entries elsewhere,
previous entrymen within the state of
Montana shall have the preference of
such period ofithirty days.
Sec. ). That ALI lands included
within the operations of:this act shall
be subject to the:provisions of the ma.
tional irrigation CLAW, SO called, but
secretary of 1.-THE interior shall have
power to withdraw such lands from
entry from time to time, as in said ma.
ttonal irrigationllaw. provided.
Sec. 1. That the fees land commits
sions on all entries under this act
shall be uniformly the same as those
charged under the present law for a
maximum;entry at the minimum price:
Provided, that a former homestead
entry shall not be a bar to the entry
under the provisions OF this act of a
tract which, together with the former
entry, shall not exceed six hundred
and forty acres.