Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1910-07-29
MONTANA SECURED
FAVORABE LEGISLATION

mOINA Al\A OAOOA\AV
FAVORABE LEGISLATION
Montana secured an unusually large
and important lot of legislation dur
ing the session Of congress recently
closed, and Senator Carter has given
an interesting outline of it. Mr.. Car
ter said:
Montana has Jared pretty well.
Of most direct benefit to the incOm-
ing settlers is the ample provision
made for the survey of public lands.
In addition to the - .OOo,O 900 appropri-
ated for public land surveys in all Of
the western states, of which MOntana's 8
share will be approximately $40, ,OOO,a
81 ecial appropriation of SlOO,OOO was
made to meet the urgent necessity for
immediate SURVEYS in eastern Mon
tana. These surveys are authorized
to be made by surveyors employed d.
rectly by the secretary Of the interior
SO as to avoid the delay which occurs
in the work of inspection Of contract
surveys. On this survey line another
bill was passed Of great Importance
to Montana, which requires the land
grant railroads to advance money to
promptly survey all their lands 50 as
to open the country to settlement.
and at the same time subject the
lands to taxation. This will result III
the opening up and subjecting to tax
alton Of all the nnsurveyed portions
Of the Northern Pacific lands Ill the
| state.
"AnOther matter of great impor.
tance to Montana was the act segre-
eating the surface title to coal lands
| for agricultural entry, which will
open to settlement in Montana ar-
proximately %, 900, 600 acres of land
heretofore withdrawn from agricul-
tural entry OH account of this sup
posed coal character. This relieves SET
! tiers 'wh0 have been debarred from
fence Of waiting until classification
of the land could he made, and even
when classified if they were found to
be coal lands. they would be barred
from getting title. Under the new
law. anyone whO hAs heretofore filed
or who may hereafter file upon agri-
cultural land will be in no sense him
dered from perfecting title subject to
the reservation Of the coal by the
government.
''In the matter of the imprc vement
of waterways and appropriation of
sl5O, 900 was secured for the better
ment of the upper Missouri river
which may in the future largely effect
transportation rates in Montana by
establishing water competition. An
appropriation of st, 1000 was also made
for the Improvement of Poison har-
Dor at the foot Of Flathead lake. 4
special appropriation Of s25O,O was
made for continuing work OH reser-
vation and also S2OO,OOO was appro-
prlated for continuing the work Of
irrigation of lands on the Blackf4et
reservation; these two projects not
being within the scope Of the regular
irrigation work Of the government,
but being special projects under the
control of the Indian bureau. Last
year an appropriation of $500, 900 was
made for commencing irrigation
work on the Fort Peck Indian reser-
vatlon along the Missouri river. Only
S25, 300 of this amount has been eN.
pended in making the preliminary
surveys, the balance Of the appropri-
atiOns still being available for the
comprehensive scheme of irrigating
the Missouri river bottoms from Glas-
gov eastward to MOndak.
"rhis session of congress has also
appropriated for the permanent water
supply ut Fort Assiniboine s7O,OnO
and $50, 900 at Fort Harrison and also
s4O,OOO for the building Of a water
system ut Fort Missoula.
"Ample provision was made in the
lump sum appropriation for the en-
tension Of the remount station at
Miles City. and the quartermaster
general OF the army is to visit this
station in the summer to project i'm
prOvements and eXtentlons,
Additional appropriations also
were made for buildings and the care
and maintenance of the national
bison range ut Ravalli, Mont, on
which fifty buffalo have been placed.
''ln the matter Of public buildings
Montana was most fortunate in secur-
ing her full quota for the ecOnstruction
of federal buildings in the fast grow
ing cities of the state. Seventy-five
thousand dollars wasappropriated for
"a nllIIio hni1flinsr r Ni.oc