The copper era., 1909-06-03
Information of Interest of the Official Survey Of Mining Claims, During
 the Current Calendar Year.

the Current Calendar Year.
 Existing laws require the claimant
 of a mineral location to have a cor
 rect official survey of his claim made
 under the authority of the Surveyor General of the State or Territory in
 which his claim is situated prior to making application to the officers of the Local Land Office for patent
 thereto, in view of the fact that the
 official survey is the basis of such ap-
 plication for patent. One copy of the approved plat of survey is fur nished the claimant or his attorney
 by the Surveyor-General, which plat, ogether with copy of notice of his intention to apply for patent is re- quired to be posted in a conspicuous
 place on his claim. After posting
 aid plat and notice upon the
 pre- emises, the claimant will file with the Register and Receiver of the Local Land Office for the District in
 which his claim is situated applica- tion for patent, and, if no reason ap- pears for the rejection of the applica- tion, the Register will, at the expense of the claimant, publish a notice of such application for patent for a period of sixty days in the newspaper published nearest the claim.
 From the foregoing, it is obvious that, in order to secure a copy of the plat of survey so as to enable the claimant to post the same for the period of sixty days prior to the end Of the calendar year, the survey should receive my approval not later than October 10th. The field notes of a mineral survey should be filed in this office at the earliest possible date, in order to insure the receipt by the claimant of the approved plat Ot his survey not later than October 20, 1909. This will avoid the ne- cessity of the claimants doing annual assessment work on each location for the succeeding calendar year, in the event of the issuance of final certif cate by the Register of the Local Land Office prior to the end of the current calendar year.
 Each year during the months of August, September, and October numerous applications are filed with me for the survey of mineral claims, which results in large number of field notes being filed in this office during those months, especially the latter ones. Naturally, the work in the Mineral Department ot the office becomes congested and, consequently, some surveys can not be approved by me soon enough to permit the claim ant to post his plat for the required period prior to the end of the calendar year. It is the policy of the Surveyor-General to accommo- date mineral claimants in the matter of eXpediting office work in connec- ton with the survey of their mining claims as far as it is within his power to do so. but the fact must not be lost sight of that the number of employees in the Mineral Department of this office is of necessity limited.
 It therefore behooves all mineral claimants who anticipate making ap- plication for patent to their holdings, n the expectation of securing final during the present year, to cause their claims to be officially | at once and thus avoid the danger of their surveys not being ap- proved in good season.
 Frank S. Ingalls,, U. s. Surveyor 5eneral.-Phocnix, Arizona.