The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-07-30

custom had condoned the latter stu
alton before examinations were made
by the government; In fact, in some
localities the mineral discovery re-
quirements of the federal statutes
were overlooked entirely by locators,
and naturally when the government
inaugurated the system Of examining
claims which came up for patent there
were many disappointed people, few
of whom were attempting to obtain
patent to land with no apparent min
eral value, but with very apparent
value for some other purpose, while
others were in absolute good faith but
did not know the actual requirements
Of the law.
i Certain Injustices Possible.
Under the present law there are
certain injustices apparent. the most
conspicuous one perhaps being under
the placer law, which makes it's pos
sible for an association or company OF
people to locate and hold legally 100
acres by doing the same amount OF
assessment work required of pros
pector on his 20 acres, which is the
maximum area he can locate as one
claim. If he wishes to locate lbO
acres, he must make s locations and
do $500 worth of work, whereas if he
Is dishonest he will locate 100 acres as
one claim by making use of dummy
locators, thus saving $500 worth OF
work, the labor of locating 7 claims
and the expense of recording them
Such a law encourages crookedness
and what is the reason for such pro-
visions? Why not require $500 worth
Of work of the 7 locators on the 16C
acres? / am unable to answer the
query to my own Satisfaction The
same principle was not carried out
with regard to lode locations.
Another injustice sometimes arises
in cases where a poor prJspector has
a valuable location on which he has
done his work hon silly. The large
) company or individual with money
overlaps the prospectors location anC
|appies for patent The prospector is
compelled to resort to law for protec-
ton. To be sure, the deputy minera
surveyor should exclude the conflict
when it is an earlier valid location
but he is not always in possession OF
the facts and may take the Statement
of his client, since in such cases hi
can hardly collect fees for time spen
: in such investigation. A valid min
eral location should be automaticall,
! protected by the government agains
such encroachments for it often hap
ipens that the ground is lost to the
prospector simply because he can no
afford to carry his case into court
believe an effective method of pro
lection could be brought about by re-
j., curing every mineral location to bt
examined at the expense of the gov.
eminent within reasonable time af
ter location, as to conflicts if any, To-
cation work, marking upon the groun(
and roughly as to its dimensions an(
e accepted surveys or other fixed land
mark. This work would require {
= competent man in each important pub
: lie land mining district who would d.
the field work and keep complete ac
cessible records of his work. Thi.
would also prevent another evil, which
has flourished in some localities, tina
Of stalking out diversified claims.
probably would not be necessary a
this time to examine the claim as t,
mineral discovery (unless the claim
is made larger than at presently, blu
the examiner should be in possession
of any facts which tend to prove fraut
on the locator's part. Such an exam
iner would be in a position to repor
quickly and accurately upon claims
which were protested by neighborins
: locators for lack of discovery or as.
sessment work, either at time of max
ing application for patent or earlier Il
the necessity should arise. The gov.
eminent would always be in posses
, cations We're fraudulent or valid ant
, would place itself in a position to pro-
tect effectively the poor locator. II
, would also decrease largely the fraud
, ulent locations and save to both the
government and individuals great
!, deal of litigation. all Of which is a
heavy expense and too often creates
hard feeling. BY thus nipping the
trouble in the bud believe that the
government would do itself and its
citizens and particularly the mining
industry, great service. 1t would
have a tendency to stimulate pros
pecting by men with the physical and
mental equipment for such work II
such federal office were created It
would be good place to record all
mineral locations made in the district
thus supplying the government with
such records.
Protection for locators.
In few mining localities, where II
Is in most instances impossible to
make mineral discovery at an ex-
pense of $500, some provision should
be made to protect locator while
searching for ore. In such districts
ore is found only at depth and 1t is
unreasonable to require mineral dis