The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-05-07
BUREAU OF MINES
BILL HAS PASSED

The senate has passed the house bill
for the creation of bureau Of mines
under the control of the interior de-
partment. A department of mines,
with cabinet officer to devote his
time and energies to the great indus
try, would have given more satisfac-
tion to those engaged in mining, but
the bureau may yet grow into de-
partment very soon.
Mining is not only one of the great
est industries in the United States en-
ploying vast capital and thousands of
men, but is daily growing greater by
the employment of advancing methods
for the treatment of ores and minerals
of all kinds.
While there are so many diversified
interests, ranging from the individual
prospector to the great mining trusts,
it is wonder that there is so little
trouble, litigation and bloodshed over
Interpretation of the conflicting laws
and rulings that cucumber the
statutes at present. The absence Of
any defined law for locating oil claims
is a case in point. They are now locat-
ed under the placer law, and the con-
ditions of that law are supposed to be
observed when locating oil lands. The
absurdity of compelling an oil locator
to dig a hole or displace 240 cubic feet
of earth without adding any value to
the location is plain. This absurdity
is carried even further by requiring a
locator to certify to an untruth when
fling his proof of labor, that he has
done 800 worth of work, when In
reality on an oil claim where the work
is done in sand or the softest spot
good workman can easily accomplish
it within two or three hours.
One rarely meets so-called mining
man who will confess that he does not
know mining laws from the lowest
levels to the apex, while most of the
oldest mining lawyers frankly admit
that the laws are too conflicting to
give an opinion off hand. What is 50
badly needed by mining men is that
the u. $. laws be revised, codifed and
published in bulletin form for free
distribution the same as agricultural
and other bulletins. 1t should define
the laws and procedure from the To-
cation to patent in such a plain and
concise way that even uneducated men,
as many prospectors are, could under
stand it and make no mistake A sin
gle monument sufficiently prominent,
containing all information as to boun-
daries, should be sufficient. Any more
is in line with the unnecessary 800
worth of work required, because it is
some times impossible to obtain ma
terials for erecting so many monu-
ments. When patented, surveyor IS
stakes, properly marked, should be
sufficient. If penalizing is desired it
would be far better for the government
to require cash payment of a few dol
lars on each claim in lieu of exacting
lot of useless work and false GER
tifcate annually. In this way the gov
ernment would also have a record of
each claim and could prevent relocat-
ing beyond reasonable number of
times without developing the claim to
eligibility to patent. The department
should also maintain complete assay
ing and chemical laboratory for test.
ing raw and other minerals free of
charge, especially for poor prospectors
This would stimulate prospecting, and
save to many poor mining men valu-
able claims, where now INSCRIPTIONS or
ignorant assavers take advantage of
the discovery or turn them down os
worthless
1t should be fully understood that
the laws of congress take precedence
over state laws in reference to mining
Many are of the opinion that it is not
obligatory to either record notice or
certificate of annual work. These
and many other misunderstood points
should be settled and clearly defined by
the government at the earliest possible
time for the information Of mining
people.
At the same time the limitation Of
saline land locations should be enforc-
ed by the government or such lands
be entirely withdrawn, except from
lease. Otherwise the salt and borax
trusts will soon own or try to own all
such lands in the United States