The Alaska daily empire., 1914-05-28
LANE TELLS HOW TO GET
 AN ALASKA HOMESTEAD


 Writing to the Seattle Post-Intelll
 gencer, in response to request that
 he prepare a statement in concise
 form setting forth what the landseek
 CT must do to acquire title to ,home
 stead in Alaska, Secretary of the In
 terior Franklin K. Lane, says:
 Important legislation is now pend
 ing before Congress affecting the pub
 lie land laws relating to Alaska, As
 the law now stands homestead entries
 may be made there for not to exceed
 three hundred and twenty acres of
 either surveyed or unsurveyed land, If the land is surveyed, entry Is made,
 as in the United States, by filing form
 al homestead application in the
 proper local land office. These offices
 are located at Juneau, Fairbanks and
 Nome. If the land is surveyed, the
 claim must be located in a rectangu-
 lar form, not more than one mile in length by north and south lines, run according to the true meridian. The location must be marked on the ground by permanent monuments at each of the four corners, so that the boundaries may be readily traced, and a record thereof should, within ninety days from the date of settlement, be filed in the recording district in which the land is situated. This record must contain the name of the settler, the date of settlement, and such descript. ion of the land as will serve to iden- tify the same. If. when the settler has complied with the requirements of the law and desires to submit proof, the public land surveys have not been extended over his claim, he may se- cure q patent by procuring, at his own expense. a survey of the land, which must be made by deputy sur. veyor appointed by the United States general at Juneau, Alaska.
 No such entry may be allowed to extend for more than 16O rods along the shore of any navlgable water, and along such a shore space of at least eighty rods is reserved between all claims except those under the mining laws.
 "The three-year homestead law of June 6. 1912 (S7 Stat, 12S), is appi- cable to homesteads in Alaska. A copy of this law, and general sug- sestions to homesteaders, may be ob- .ained by wiring the general land of flee, Washington, D. c. The land de- partment cannot furnish information IS to the location of lands available for homesteading. Before locating a .ract of land inquiry should be made 1t the proper United States land office IS to whether the land is free from 
 "tn national forests homestead claims may be presented under the | .ct of June II, 1906 GA Stat, 2SS), for lot exceeding 16O acres. The method ,f procedure is application to the Sec 'etary of Agriculture, who. if he finds he lands agricultural and that their ,ntry will not injure the forest reser. ,ations, may list the lands, whereupon he Secretary of the Interior may de- Hare them open to homestead settle nent and entry in tracts not exceed. ng 16O acres, preference being given O the person upon whose application he land was examined and listed.
 "The Alaskan railroad act provides hat in patents for lands taken up af. CT March 12, 1914, in Alaska, there hall be reserved t. the United States
 right-of.way for the construction of ailroads, telegraph and telephone mes, to the extent of 100 feet on each idle of the center of the railroad, and 9 the extent of twenty-five feet on ach side of the center line of tele- raph or telephone lines"