The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1908-11-07

r. e. g., InJo, Cal.-You ask if a for
est ranger on a forest reserve has a
right to eject a prospector and prevent
him from prospecting or working a
claim. No retaliation of the forest
service has ever denied the right of
any ~prospector to stake a claim where
and as he chose, in any national forest
in the country. No ~prospector has any
need to ask permission of anyone to
stake claims in the national forests.
The law of June 4, 1897, quoted on page
PIG of the last edition of "The Use
Book says: "Nor shall anything
herein prohibit any person from enter
ing upon such forest reservations for all
proper and lawful purposes including
that of prospecting, locating and deyei-
oping the mineral resources thereof;
provided, that such persons comply with
the rules and regulations covering such
forest reservations No rules and
regulations of the forest service have
ever interfered with the right to pros
pect, locate, and develop mineral claims.
Even if the forest service desired to
prevent prospecting in the national for
ests, and it emphatically does not, it
could not do so under the law. If any
forest officer has ever undertaken to
prevent prospecting in California or
elsewhere, he was himself breaking the
law and and disobeying the regulations
of the forest service. The fact that the
forests are freely open to prospecting
may be verified in a moment by refer
ence to the statutes of the United
States. The regulations of the forest
service have nothing whatever to do
with the validity of a mining claim.
The validity Of a mining claim is deter
mined by laws of the United States,
and decisions of the courts and of the
department of the interior interpreting
those laws. The law of February l,
1905, quoted on pages PIT and 21s of
ssThe Use Book specifically excerpts
from the duties to be performed by the
forest service on the national forests
any connection with "such laws as af-
feet the surveying, prospecting, locat-
ing, appropriating, entering, relinquish-
ing, reconveying, certifying, or patent
ing'' of any lands within their boun-
daries. All these duties are retained
by the department of the interior, and
are exercised by that department under
the laws of the United States. The for
est service has never denied a patent to
any mineral claim in any national for
est, nor declared the same to be in
valid, for it has no right to do so. But
it is the duty of the forest service, I'M
der the law, to report to the department
of the interior, upon its request, the
actual facts on the ground concerning
any claim or location within a national
forest, to enable the department of the
interior to form a Judgment as to the
validity of such claim or location. The
department of the interior forms that
Judgment and acts upon 1.-THE forest
service merely reports such facts as it
finds. 1t is not the judge, but merely
a witness in the case.
e. P. j., New York.-That there has
been a slump in the stock of the Ne
vada Hills is due to the fact, largely,
that the company has adopted the pol
icy of not extracting more ore than alb
solutely necessary to pay expenses,
pending a better price for silver. The
slump in silver to so cents means a diff
ference of about $50 per ton and this
is more than the company wants to
sacrifc, especially as there are heavy
charges connected with the marketing
of ore, as the company as yet has no
mill, and the property is at a distance
from the railroad. The management
thinks the ore worth more in the mine
than on the market under present con
ditions. Development still progresses,
and the only ore taken from the mine is
in process of sinking and drifting.
There is a great quantity of ore blocked
out in the mine, and the ore seems to
carry a larger percentage of gold as
depth is attained. The last ore sent
out, of which we rave record, was a
carload that Melted the company $3.50,
and which ran 2.76 ounces in gold. (2)
We believe the Kewanas a very ex-
cellent prospect. 1t is being mined in
a miner-like fashion, and is controlled
by men of means and large mining ex-
perience. Beside the operations of the
company, three leases are working
ground. Some ore has been encoun-
tered, and occasionally rich pockets,
but no ore has ever been shipped, al
though considerable is blocked out. The
property is well regarded in Goldfeld.
r. e. r., New York.-The condition
of the Combined Mining and Leasing
company does not warrant such a price
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