Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-06-29
FEW PATENTS ASKED FOR.
Attitude of Washington Has Para
lyzed the Development Of Mines.

Anyone inclined to question the
fact that the attitude of the Washing
ton officials OH the mining claim pat
enting matter is having an adverse
effect upon the mining industry OF the
State of Utah and the whole west,
need merely to examine the applica-
tons for patent in the local land
Offices, and to investigate the scar
city of prospectors in the hills, to be
convinced The officials at Washing
ton maintain that the right to locate
as well as to patent rests upon ba-
sis that is considered prohibitive by
the mining fraternity. and the effects
are widespread and far-reaching.
During the past three months as
shown by the records, there has been
just one application per month for
patent on mining ground. There
were seven applications last Febru-
ary which was prior to the agitation
of this important matter. The appli-
cations in past years have numbered
from seven to ten per month and at
times as high as one day.
This is indicative of near demone-
tization. of the determination of the
mining world to not proceed with the
development of properties until there
has been a reversal in the drastic reg
ulations as laid down by official
Washington As predicted in these
columns early in the agitation. the at
ttude OF Washington will eliminate
the prospector and paralyze the min
ing industry retarding the develop
ment Of new mines and new mining
districts until Washington wakes up
to the fact that the mineral industry
of the west is something deserving
of assistance rather than destruction.
The especially bad feature OF this
adverse position of officialdom is that
the land almost universally is worth
less for anything else on earth. 1t
holds no timber, no water, no power
sites, no vegetation and is incapable
of being utilized for agricultural pur-
poses Unless it is used for the min
eral which it contains il is not worth
a fraction of a cent per acre the gov
eminent receives for it from the
miner four times the amount it could
receive were the land agricultural
land. yet no one has the right to it
unless he expend an amount of money
and time. varying in extent by the
physical difficulties of the situation.
to demonstrate that it holds mineral
of value The department at Wash
ington demands that the miner do
this work on the strength of geolog
ical conditions. which the department
itself refuses to consider worthy OF
its attention
This is the ideal season for pros
pecting in the Utah mountains. yet
the hills today are as barren of the
prospector and his burro as Washing
ton is of common ordinary sense and
Judgment. The merchant in the
spring months who has derived
considerable revenue from Quitting
prospectors has lost this important
source of revenue. and the hills are
turned over To the forest ranger who,
the principal part of his time, is un.
able to find a greater amount of com
Portable shade than that afforded by
his sombrerO. The man OF means finds
himself without protection and with
out opportunity for developing the
latest sources OF the west
Such conditions illustrate the quail
ity OF comprehension OF the VESTS re-
quirements enjoyed by the average
desk man at Washington.-Salt Lake
Tribune.