Bisbee daily review., 1912-04-24
Land Office Reform is
 Menace To Mining Men

SALT LAKE, Utah. April 23-Re- newed trouble for the Taft admins tration over the conservation law is promised by the mining interests of the Rocky Mountains. Recent deci- sions of the land office in refusing patents on mining claims and activi- ties in forest rangers in holding min ing concerns too strictly within reg ulations are declared to be unneces- sarily hampering the mining indus try. Protests have been sent to sen stors and representatives Of western states, and if the land office will not give way, hard fight will be made to change the present laws and the administration may suffer-.
 A ruling which shows the tendency of the land once in the matter of granting patents on mining claims was made in the case of a ''protes,' in the rich Tintic district. Here the sur. ace minerals did not show values sufficient to make it certain that the mine would pay, but certain indica- tions on the ground and the tendency of veins in adjoining claims conyinc- ed the mining men interested that it would be worth while to develop granting patents on mining claims the property. They sought a patent but 1t was refused on these grounds:
 The exposure Of substantially worth less deposits on the surface of a claim; the finding of mere surface in- dications of mineral within its limits; Afgangnru 1f l, posits outside of the claim. or deduc- tions from established geological facts relating to it. one or all of which matters may reasonably give rise to belie.. however strong it may be. that a valuable mineral deposit exists with in the claim, will neither suffice as a discovery thereon or be entitled to be accepted as the equivalent thereof.
 To constitute valid discovery on the claim, for which patent is sought, there must be actually and physically exposed within the limits therein a vein or lode of mineral bearing rock in place, possessing in and Of itself a present or prospective value for mining purposes: and before patent can properly be issued or entry al lowed thereon that fact must be shown in the manner above stated.
 Mining men declare that had such an attitude been taken in Washing ton in other years fully halI Of the best mining properties in the west. would never have been developed, be- cause from surface indications no proof could have been given of the large deposits that lay beneath. Thes say that mining is largely a gambling proposition. The best mining man or. engineer often is unable to judge by the surface showing what will be found underneath, but judging by such indications as are held in the decision to be insufficient for proof. they are often willing to take chances and spend large sums of money in the hope of getting big returns Many failure has to be scored to every paying proposition that is developed. Mining traditions of the west are full of tales Of small fortunes spent in development work that sometimes came out we'll and sometimes did not
 It is said that few speculative min ing men would care 10 put their mon- ey into a proposition where they must develop a paying streak before they could get ownership. for they might have trouble in getting the title if some clerk in Washington did not take