Mohave County miner., 1911-04-01
Information Of Interest To Ap- pIicants For The Survey Of
 Public Lands.

It is a matter of general interest to prospective applicants for the survey of public lands that Congress annually appropriates the approximate sum oi 4O0,OO for the survey and resurvey of the public lands of the United States, which sum is apportioned among thir- teen western states and territories ac- cording to the requirements of these respective districts.
 Under existing law, the expenditure of the annual appropriation for public surveys is restricted, first, to lands oc- cupied in whole or in part by actual settlers on the public domein, and, second, to lands adapted to agriculture. It will therefore be seen that the ap- plicants of actual bona fide settlers will be given preference in the matter of authorizing the surveys of town ships, payable from this regular an- nual appropriation, and that applica- tions by persons not actually residing on their claims, such as desert land claimants, for the survey of public lands including their claims will re- ceive consideration only after the de- mands of actual settlers on other lands have been recognized, and provided the fund annually apportioned for each district has not been exhausted.
 In making application for the sur vey of public lands, the applicant should carefu ly determine, as near as practicable, the approximate section, township, and range in which his claim is located and he should describe in detail all Improvements which he has made on his claim.
 The application of one actual bona fde resident in a township, where there are no other settlers, will be sui ticient to secure the survey of twelve sections of that township; the applica- tions of two such resident settlers will secure the survey of twenty-four sec tions; and the applications of three such settlers will secure the survey of thirty-six sections in order to include their claims. It would be advisable for each applicant to have two or more settlers who are living within the township make similar applications for survey, as the Government prefers to -surver all of the agriculture and graz ing lands within a township in the first instance in order to avoid the addition al expenses that would be incident to the survey of portions of that town. ship at different times.
 Public land surveys whose cost is payable from the regular annual ap- propriation, when authorized by the Commissioner of the General Land Of flee, are made without cost to the set tier, the Government paying all ex- Denses in connection therewith.
 The Contract System of surveying public lands no longer obtains. Since July l, 1910, the public land surveys have been executed by salaried U. s. Surveyors or TransIUmen under the supervision of the General Land Office and the U. s. Surveyor-General for the District in which the lands are situat- ed. It is expected that, under this new system, many of the delays which were frequently experienced in the final acceptance of surveys under the old system, will be avoided.
 The claims of all applicants for the survey Of public lands are examined in the field by an agent of the Govern ment, appointed for that purpose, in order to determine the good faith, actual residence, etc, of the applicant. If such field examination reveals the fact that the settlers claim is not located in the township stated in his application. he should immediately file new application, properly de- scribing the location of his claim there in. It therefore behooves the appli- cant to be on the lookout for the special agent and ascertain from him whether his application has been cor rectly executed.
 Surveys of homestead entries within .the limits of National Forests may be executed under the jurisdiction of the -SurveyOr-General at the expense of the claimant, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Congress ap- proved June II, 1906.
 Further instructions relative to the