The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-18
Enlarged-homestead
LdU

Following Is Secretary Lanes outlin
,f methods of procedure for nomestea
,ntrymen. Formal legal statements an
services of attorneys not necessary.
The 320-acre homestead law, or. as
il is often called. the enlarged home
stead law, has made possible the en-
try Of many million acres OF dry land
in the western states In tracts double
the size allowed under the original
homestead law. Only land which has
been designated" by the secretary
Of the interior as "nonirrigable' can
be entered under this act More than
200, 900 900 acres have been thus des-
Ignated, but petitions and sworn
statements requesting further desig-
nations are constantly being re-
ceiyed.
In an interview just given out,
Secretary Lane calls attention TO the
fact that there appears TO be con-
sldera BILE MISUNDERSTANDING among
western homeSLeaders as to the pro-
cedure necessary in order that en-
larged homestead designations may
be made The secretary states that
only the simplest and most direct
action by the settler Is required, and
that Il is wholly unnecessary for him
TO incur the charges now made by
tions that are in fact no more effective
than the homesteader's own letter
would be. On this account a brief
statement of the essential facts rel
ative to the enlarged homestead law
is timely.
The first enlarged homestead act
was approved February 10. 1909, and
as later amended provides that in the
states of Arizona California. Colo
RADIO. Idaho, Montana. Nevada, New
nal
Washington, and Wyoming any per-
son who Is qualified TO make entry
under the homestead laws may enter
as much as 320 acres OF public land
which Is in a reasonably compact
body and is nonmineral. nonirriga BILE,
unreseryed. and unappropriated and
does not contain merChaDtable tim
Der. Before such entry can be made,
however, the land must he designated
by the secretary OF the interior as
not being. in his opinion, susceptible
OF successful irrigation at a reason
able cost from any known source OF
water supply.
The work of classifying the lands
and determining what areas may be
considered nonrrigable has been as
signed by Secretary Lane TO the
United States geological survey. AL
though. under the present ruling OF
the secretary, large areas may be
designated as nonirrgable without
is in other respects subject TO home
stead entry. the work Of examining
and classifying these large areas
necessarily proceeds rather slowly.
In addition 10 these so-called
blanket" designations, therefore,
deslgna tons of smaller areas are
made as rapidly as their nonirrigable
character is determined. including
areas whose designation has been re-
quested by individual settlers for en-
largcd- homestead entry or for addi-
tlonal entry on tracts adjacent 10
their present unprotected homestead
entries.
No definite form OF petition is re-
quired. but each applica ton should
be limited a S far as possible 10 the
specific tract desired for entry and
should contain description, by sec
ton township. and range. OF the ap-
phcants original homestead entry and
the date OF this entry. as well az q
description, aloo by legal subdlvi-
sIous. OF the land desired for addI-
tional entry. Information as 10 the
possibility Of irrigatlng the land