The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-26
FEW PATENTS ARE
BEING ASKED FOR
Attitude of Washington Has
Paralyzed the Develop
ment of Mines.
BUSINESS FALLS OFF
Only One Application Per
Month in the Past Three
Months.
BUSINESS FALLS OFF

Anyone inclined to question the fact
that the attitude Of the Washington Off
cials on the mining claim patentinr mat
ter ie having an adverse effect upon the
mining industry OF the state OF Utah and
the whole west, need merely to examine
the applications for patent In the local
land efficeH. and to Investigates tho scar
city of prospeotors In the hills, TO he
convinced. The officials at Washington
maintain that the right 10 locate as well
as to proceed 10 patent rests upon ba =
sis that is considered prohibitive By the
mining fraternity, and the effects are
widespread and far-reachlng.
During the past three months as shown
b. the records there has been Just on e
application per month for patent on min
ing ground. There were seven appli-
cations lsst February, which was prior
to the agitation Of this Important mat
ter. The applications In past years have
numbered from seven TO ten per month
and at times as high as one a day.
Is Demoralizing.
This Is Indicative of near -demoraliza-
tion, OF ths determination OF the mining
world 20 not proceed with the develop
ment OF properties until there has been
q reversal In the drastic regulations as
predicted In these columns early in the
agitation, the attitude OF Washington Will
eliminate the prospector and para!yze the
mining industry, retarding the. develop
ment of new mines and new mining dis
tr!cts until Washington wakes up TO the
fact that the mineral industry Of the
west Is som somethlng thing .eScT,nn deserving OF
Tho especially bad feature OF this adj
verse position Of officialdom Is that the
land almost universally Is worthless for
anything else on earth. 1t holds no tim
Der, no water. no power sites, no yege-
tetion and is incapable OF being utilized
for agricultural PURPOSES Unless IT is
used for the mineral which It contains
acre The government receives for it
from the miner four times the amount
II could receive were the land agricul-
tural land, yet no one has the right to
1t unless he expend ar amount of money
and time, varying in extent by the phys
ical difficulties of the situation. TO dem
The department at Washington demands
that the miner do this work on the
strength OF geological conditions. which
the department itself refuses to consider
worthy of its attention
Prospectors Are Missing.
This is the ideal season for prospect
ing In the Utah mountains. yet the
hills today arc as barren OF the pros
pector and his burro as Washington Is
OF ofUlUdTy common sense ana JuCR-
mcnt The merchant in the spring
months who has derived considerable
revenue from Quitting prospectors has
lost this important source Of revenue. and
the hills lined with their precious metal
contents are turned over 20 the forest
ranger who. the principal part OF his
time, is unable to find greater amount
Of comfortable shade than that afforded
by his sombrero. The man OF means finds
himself without protection and without
opportunity for developing the latest re-
sources Of the west
Such conditions illustrate tho quality
of comprehension OF the VESTS require
menss enjoyed by the average desk man
At Washington.