Douglas Island news., 1910-04-27
Wickersham's Miners, Labor
 Lien Law Passed

LlEll ASCl :" | CboSCS
 H. R. 1O, 1923, being bill to create, es- tablish and enforce a miners labor lien in the Territory of Alaska, passed both houses of congress and will soon be in effect throughout the territory. The bill was introduced in the house of rep resentatives june 1, 1909, and its pas sage fully redeems one of the principal election pledges made by Delegate Wickersham, who promised to intro duce and work for the passage ot thls bill It was one of the chief blanks ill his platform and the new law secured by Wickersbam is certain to add to bis prestige among the miners of Alaska, and more particularly in the Nome and Panama districts, where there has been considerable complaint in the past through mine laborers having no means of securing their wages except by costly litigation.
 Briefly, the bill provides that every miner or other laborer who shall labor in any mine in Alaska shall, where his labor has directly aided in such pro- duction, have lien upon the dump for the full amount of his wages for the time he was so employed, within one year next preceding his ceasing to labor thereon: and to the extent of the labor of the said miner actually employed or expended thereon, within one year next prior to ceasing his labor. The lien shall be prior and preferred over any deed, mortgage, bill of sale, attachment or conveyance, whether the same was made prior to the labor or otherwise. This does not apply, however, to any conveyance made in good faith prior to the passage of this act.
 Any laborer wishing to claim the benefit of the lien law must, within 90 days after the performance of his labor, file for record in the precinct where the labor was performed, claim of lien containing statement of his demand. The form o9 the claim is prescribed in the act
 The recorder mast fle bis claim for purely nominal cost.
 No lien shall bind any property for more thau ninety days after the claim has been filed unless an action be com. menced within that time to enforce the same.
 Tbe action for the foreclosure of the lien shall commence in the justice's court in tbe precinct where the lien was filed and justices of the peace in Alaska are given full jurisdiction in the foreclosure of such liens.
 No mistake, informality or mere mat ter of form or statement either in the lien notice or peadings shall be ground for dismissal or unnecessary delay i'll the foreclosure action, but the lien no- tice and pleadings may he amended at any time before judgment.
 After the lien has been filed in the justice court the justice shall issue summonses and the defendant must make an answer in not less than five or more than ten days time.
 When a lien is served on adump that dump shall be in the custody of the of- Beers of the court and no minerals may taken from it unless sufficient cash to cover the claim is deposited with the court.
 In case of judgment for the plaintiffs and where it is shown that it is neces. sary to preserve tbe property from loss oy waste, the court may order the mar shal to allow the defendants to wash the dump under his supervision, all she proceeds to be held in custody un- til all claims are settled.
 To remove any portion of the dump on which there is a lien without per-