Imperial Valley press., 1908-04-11
THE NEW DESERT LAND ACT.

By recent act Congress- the Land Office prohibited from accepting desert land filings in Imperial Valley pend ing completion approval of the survey This does not affect entries already made nor does impair the rights of settlers who have taken possession of unsurveyed land and begun reclamation good faith The prior right to make entry after survey is preserved
 But enterprsng persons well get out of theh heads the notion that the act throws open the Imperial Valley to quaers and jumpers The rights of enymen ana % occupants tempts work it will have his labor for his pains Register unsurveyed will still hold Possession and reclamation commeneng of reclamation prior to survey gives ing sqae desert rights and no such notice VIII
 Another section of sepsmts assignments of portions of holdings issue of final recp or to making of final will encourage settlement by enabling andseekers to obtain small farms in desirable locations:
 It is idle for to into this region with the - enon Of taking government land at this stage of develop all entered and entries will be received at present The only thing would be settler to do to buy land rights and already reclaimed and ready for cultivation.
 Desert land laws have always provided for entry of pns4r lands regulations time by the Commissioner of the General Land Office have given for making such entries and also for making the yearly proofs and final proofs the lands thus entered
 July 1902 for the of Imperial Valley the lands this valley the status unsurveyed lands This recognized early September 1904 when the Land Office stopped accepting payment and issuing receipts on final proofs
 On 31st 1906 all lands in the valley withdrawn pending the Later this order was changed to permit still further changed to permit entry these lands unsuryye lands That condition has continued until the of te this valley held be unsurveyed lands follows
 that entries be made until the completed and the plats filed and their status duly established
 Since May 24h 1907 peculiar situation has obtained in e valley by of the ambiguous instructions under which the Land Office has abored These instructions, while establish the status of the valley lands surveyed and providing that nothing but desert entries be permitted also ordered that all applicants describe their lands by the original government uvey of 1856 By that there unsurveyed land in the valley and consequently the Land Office could recognize applications to enter such lands.
 That looks good officially but it doesn't accord with valley conditions nasmuh the and locations have fifty sections of unsureyed land Occupants of these lands have made applications to enter them unsuved Prescott Receiver Robinson rejected the pcton have appealed to the Commissioner of the General Land Office In this practically all the desirable unsurveyed already applied for From letters received by some applicants from the Commissioner at Washington it learned that when the lands reopened for entry these appca will be taken the order of their filing that the first applicant for tract of land will have the first right compe entry is thus that there great amount of desirable land in this valley open to squatters