The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-17
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| SHARPLY | | |.
Today [ D |
Hansbrough Bill Creating Land
Office Passes the
House. !.
INTRODUCED BY GRoNNA.
Who, Has Worked Hard for Its Pas.
sage-Means Much
for City.
~ ID. q. Snyder.

washington, April l6.-RepreSenta-
tive Gronna today called up and Sc
cured the passage through the house
Of the Hansbrough bill creating an ad-
ditional land office in North Dakota,
the headquarters Of which are to be
located at WWilliston.
This bill was introduced in the sen
ate by Senator Hansbrough and by;
him worked through the various
grades and passed the senate Feb. @.
Since that time 1t has been over on
the house side, and though Represen-
tative Gronna has been active in the
matter. twas not until today that he
was able to secure consideration for 1t.
It now having passed both houses.
goes to the president for signature,
This bill provides that all of that
portion lying north Of the twelfth
standard parallel and west Of the
range line between ranges 50 and SO
west of the principal meridian be Gre
ated as separate land district. to be
known as the. Williston land district,
with a land Office located at Willistoh.
and provides TO rthe appointment Of a
register and receiver.
The proposed district will be ap-
proximately 81 miles long and 66 miles
wide, embracing the counties Of Will:
Jams. Alfred, Wallace and part of Ward
county. lying in the northwest corner
Of the state. This territory Is now a
part Of the Minot land district. embrac-
ing approximately about one-half of
it's territory. .is
The unusual demand for lands in
this district ID indicated by the fact
that at the close of the fiscal year
ending June 80. 1904. there were
2.S72.470 acres Of unappropriated lands
subject to entry. while at the close Of
the last fiscal year there remained but
1,386.0S0 acres unappropriated, 1885,
I 800 acres having been entered during
that year, and recent returns from this
Office show that of the amount remain
ing unentered on June 20 last, 594, ,154
acres had been entered prior to Dec.
81, 1905, leaving at that time but S92.-
236 acres subject to entry in the en-
tire Minot district.
The total area of the new district,
roughly estimated. is 4,00S,94O acres;
of this, 1S4,320 acres are reserved and
46,470 acres are unsurveyed. A rough
estimate from the best data a>available
without a minute examination indi-
Gates that 2.S85.774 acres in the pro-
posed district had been entered prior
Z to June 30 last, leaving at that time,
roughly estimated, approximately 922,-
i4O6 acres, and it is fair to presume that
much the larger portion of the 594.154
acres mentioned above as having been
entered In the Minot district between
June 80 and Dec. 81, 1905, are in
cluded within the 922,406 acres just
mentioned as subject to entry in the
proposed district.
This would indicate that by far the
larger portion of these lands have all
ready been entered, but the records of
this Office show that a very great ma
jority of the entries have been made
within the last few years, and that,
consequently, final proofs have not
been made under most of these en-
tries.
The experienc Of this Office demon
strates that final probfs are much
more satisfactory when taken before
local land officers than when taken
s before other officers authorized to take
proofs near the land. To the extent
that the establishment of this Office
would induce entrymen In that local
ity to appear before the local land Of
flee for the purpose of making proofs
the government would be benefited.
] Any other benefit that would arise
from the establishment Of such an
office would accrue solelyeto persons
living in that locality. n, I,