Bisbee daily review., 1914-04-26
BRITISH COLUMBIA AND MEXICO GIVE
 MINING LAW HINTS

The mining regulations of British | Columbia and Mexico present some ! features which might we'll be copied | in the United States, if We are to have | a complete revision of the laws gov. erning mining titles. says F. L. Sizer in a paper read before the American Institute of Mining Engineers. He con tinues as follows:
 First and foremost Is the square" location, which would mean the aboli. ton Of eXtralateral rights. This is condition iL both of the countries above named which has seemed to work no hardship upon any one and certainly the limitation of underground rights by vertical planes through ell lines makes a locator's rights clear. In view of the long and costly li,iga- ton which has involved so seriously many Of our most important mining districts, it would seem to be the part of wisdom to avoid a repetition of sim liar trouble on titles of lode mining claims, by the enactment of g law sim liar to that in force in British Co., ,un.bia.
 Without gJig into furt Ter argu- ment as to the desirability of the square location" it would be suiH- cient to say to those who are inclined 10 let well enough alone" and still stick to the law of the apex that there have never been any seriols ol .ec. tions raised to this feature of the square location in either British Co. lumbia or Mexico. There are well founded and logical reasons for aban- doining the doctrine of ex,ralaterll rights since it be so difficult CT mter. pretation; the most natural substitute being a law similar to that of British Columbia, giving 10 each locator an area of 15O0 1t. square.
 would advocate the right to To- cate adjoining claims Of equal. extent on either side of the discovery claim, on the strike of the lode. suhiec. iJ reasonable requirement in the mat ter of work upon them; and in the ] Nt%o' 'A e N'Al uAlNlhH lAatAfA AAAN ll l5 degrees from the horizon, or m case of deposit. l would also favor the right to loca.e one additional claim (witnout actual discovery upon itJ on the side toward which the l0le or deposit dips
 | For the official krown as Cold Crla- missioner in British Columbid, thora can probably be subs ituted county officlal or, perhaps. the State Mino Inspector whose business 1t shai he 10 inspect the yearly work done upon all claims held by possessory right. He could pass upon the suffici3ncy of the work and make table record of the same in the county recorders Ot- fee. This mode of notification to jhe public would insure honest work cf the full va.ue of SlOO per claim each year. up to the time patent is secured {; and some method, copying, in par, the British Columbia law, will prob ably be desirable.
 The suggestion Ncontained in the foregoing paragraph presupposes tLe desiralility Of annual work upon mlnirg claims rather than the payment of government tax, as is the law in Mexico. This is a point which IS
 worth careful consideration, before the enactment of any law. The pres- ent disturbed condition of affairs in Mexico is an argument against perpet- uaung possessory title by means of annual tax paid to the government, though 1t may be justly said that con ditions similar to those in Mexico can hardly arise in the United States. It certainly does Lot seem wise Co adopt what las been done in many of the English colonies, namel. re- tention of jurisdiction by the govern ment over all mineral lands. 1s that would amount to leasing system, and there is a preponierance Of opinion adverse to this method among active
 mining men all over the United Sldtt s. |, h conclusion, i have attomptyd to discuss only these features of the law of British Coianbia aEG MeNirl ; which ! think wou'n be applicable in r t'o United State lasvmg tO others
 who are more fam'ar With tho inning
 statutes of oth5 5r countries tho pre-
 sSntation of ther views.
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