Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-11-21
THE ENLARGED-HOMESTEAD
LAW

4 homestead law, has made possible
Y the entry of many million acres OF
dry land in the Western states IN
tracts double the size allowed unde,
the original homestead law. Onl,
land which has been designated" by
the secretary of the interior as mon.
irrigable" can be entered under this
act. More than 2OO,00O,OOO acres
have been thus designated, but peti.
tons and sworn staten ents request.
ing further designations are con
stantly being received.
In an interview just given out
Secretary Lane calls attention to the
fact that there appears to be con.
siderable Misunderstanding among
western homesteaders as to the pro.
cedure necessary in order that en-
larged-homestead designations NAV
be made. The secretary states that
only the simplest and most direct ac.
ton by the settler is required, and
that 1t Is wholly unnecessary for him
to incur the charges now made by
attorneys who draw up formal petit
tons that are in fact no more effect
I've than the homesteaders own let
ter would be. On this account a
brief statement of the essential facts
relative to the enlarged HON estead
law is timely.
The first nlarged-homestead act
was approved February 10, 1909.
and as later amended provides that
In the states of Arizona, California,
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada.
New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon,
Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
any person who Is qualified to make
entry under the homestead laws nav
enter as much as 800 acres of public
land which Is in reasonably COM
pact body and is non-mineral, nom
irrigable, unreserved, and unappro-
priated and does not contain mer-
charitable timber. Before such entry
can be made, however the land must
be designated by the secretary of the
interior as not being, in his opinion.
susceptible Of successful irrigation
at a reasonable cost from any known
source of water supply.
The work Of classifying the lands
and determining what areas may be
considered non-irrigable has been
assigned by Secretary Lane to the
United States Geological survey. AL
though, under the present ruling of
the secretary, large areas may be
designed as nOnirrigable without
raising the question whether land
Is In other respects subject to home
stead entry, the work of examining
and Classifying these large areas
necessarily proceeds rather slowly.
IN addition to these so-called
blanket" designations, therefore,
designations 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-
lhrged-homestead entry or for addi-
tlonal entry on tracts adjacent to
their present unprotected homestead
entries.
"a Of tnk, ir
trired, but each application should
be limited as far as possible to the
81 celtic tract desired for entry and
should contain a description, by sec
ton, township, and range, of the ap-
plicant's original homestead entry
and the date of this entry, as we'll
as a description, also by legal sub
divisions, of the land desired for ad-
ditional entry. Information as to
the possibility of irrigating the land
should also be furnished and should
include the distance and direction
OF the nearest stream or existing or
proposed irrigation canal, the eleva-
ton of the lowest point of the land
above such source of water supply,
the depth at which water can be
reached by wells sunk on the land,
and all available information con-
corning attempts to obtain water by
this method. The general character
OF the land, both of the homestead
er's original entry Of he has made
one) and of the land desired for adj
ditional entry, should also be de-
scribed, to aid the survey in reaching
decision as to it's nonirrigability.
This information should be en-
bodied in letter sent to the
Director, U. S. Geological Survey,
Washington, d. G. A formal petit
ton drawn up by notary or an at
torney is not at all necessary, and
will not result in any earlier consid-
Grafton of the matter than will be
given II the applicant writes person
ally. Action will be taken on every
L. {1ta ~