Churchill standard. (Fallon, Nev) 1903-1908, 1906-01-06

last year the repeal OF the assign
ment clause. This provision has
beer made the convenient vehicle for
evading the spirit of the law and for
facilitating the acquisition of lands IN
large holdings. The law limits the
amount which one person or associa'
ton of persons may hold, by assign
ment or otherwise, prior to patent to
800 acres of such arid or desert
lands. The most common form of at
tempted evasion of this requirement
IS for two or three individuals 10
form themselves into a corporation,
each individual member of the corpo-
ration securing, by entry or assign
ment. go acres of such lands and
the corporation as such 800 acres.
These same individuals then form an
other corporation under an entirely
different name and procure an as
Segment Of another 800 acres, and
this process is continued indefinitely.
The General Land Office has within
the past year e~ndeavored to put a
stop to this practice by holding that
Il corporation or association of per
SONS is not qualified to receive a des-
ert-land entry by assignment where
its individual members either singly
or in the aggregate are holding 30
acres of such arid or desert lands.
This ruling. if enforced, will tend to
lessen the evils resulting from large
holdings prior to patent, but it IS not
deemed possible to secure adequate
control of this question unless the
law prohibits assignments of desert
land entries. BY repeating that pro-
vision of the law and requiring the
claimant TO show that he has made
the entry for his w use and benefit
and not for the benefit of any other
person or corporation and that he
has made no agreement by which the
title shall inure to any other person
or corporation the evils incident to
large holdings of such lands under
the sanction of law will be materially
lessened.
1t is n striking fact that these large
holdings of desert land are not re-
and devoted to their best
use. Three hundred and twenty acres
Of irrigable land is entirely too much
for economical handling by n per-
On the other hand, inspection
shows that in the same locality and
AIliliI lit 81 Ilit GlAllldAlN NpiNiAAApAAe liz
homestead entries. where not COM
muted, are reclaimed and utilized.
The desert-land act as it stands up
on the statute books appears to have
many features which commend it,
rs before stated, the practices gov
erning it have largely nullifed its
good features, and the resulting
evils cannot be fully overcome with
put Legislation.
The area Of the desert entry
should be cut down from 800 acres to
not exceeding 100 acres, and disCre-
ion should be given to the Secretary
If the Interior to cut it down still
where it is apparent that in
ensiye cultivation is practicable. A
arm of 800 acres. if irrigated, IS en-
rely too large for n single family,
md its possession simply prevents
,ther settlers from coming into the
'ountry. Furthermore, it makes land
monopoly easy and induces specula-
ion.
Actual living Mt home on the land
or not less than two years should
le required before patent. Your
commission can not understand whN
ny settler should be gIyvT both a
49, assert entry, either
1-lner without the other should suf-
fee, under The law, to furnish him a
home. The deScrt-land law should
be Il means of settlement, aud actral
bona fde residence should he rlgidly
required.
Inc actual production of a valuable
crop should Gc required IN not less
Than one-fourth the area of the en-