The Alaska daily empire., 1915-01-29

tries within tho National ioreste an
 other procedure for making such op
 trios 1 lands outside of the iores
 watcr power and water sites with
 ia the forest reHervos ore leased an' opeiated nnder permits from the For est servioa there is question as 1' whether authority exists for disposa
 of leasing of water power elsewhere
 yas areas In Che forest reserTei gro entirely untimbered, but arc nei'
 under thg regulations of tho fores
 Service. while timbered lands in oth
 or sections are unprotected.
 Timber Tn the National iorest9 i'
 sold a, auction under rules and regu
 latlons of the Department of Agrienl
 ture. Timber on lands outside tnes,
 reserves Is sold under wholly differ ent rules and regulations made Dy tae
 Interior Department
 ma general lows permit the eHpor
 talon oi pulp made from timber en' of the public lands in Alaska but for bid the exportadon Of lhe timber it. selG
 It has taken as long as three years for patent to issue in unoontested land clalma in Alaska after final certificate yves ssuod, merely because or the lengthy procedure invoked in secnf. Ing the proper filling out Of the pa- pera
 In iling homestead location no- dce the homesteader In Alaska on un- surveyed land. must stake his claim and in his notice describe it by metes and bounds. with reference to Govern ment monuments, trees rivers, or otn- CT prominent landmarks. The loea- tion notice Is filed with the recorder of inc district Before making en- try the homesteader must then so or apply to the Surveyor-Gcnerol, whose office Is in Juneau, for a survey " there is no contest or protest. Che Sur veyor-Geueral appoints a deputy GO make a survey of the homestead claim. This survey Is made at the eSepnse of the homesteader. After it Is com pleted it must be approved by the .suweyorGeneral ot Juneau. Then the euryman takes his survey to the land office of the district in which his claim Is located and applies to make entry of the land Notice and a plat ot the claim are posted on the land and printed in the local news papers. If there is no contest against final proof on a homestead claim, the and receiver of the local land office pass on the proof and issue 9 final certificate. If there is a protest the proofs are sent to Washington and field investigation Is ordered.
 Orders for field investigations on land claims arc sent from Washing ton to Portland, Oregon and forward ed from there by the Chief of Field to the agent in the fieid in Alaska. # the papers are received early enough in the season and the special agent who receives them has not too much other work, the field investigation may be made the same year 1t is ordered
 lf there is no protest against Iin- ll proof or after a field investigation ias been made of such proofs Che ,iaim and proofs are sent by the land ,ffce in Washington to Che Geoiogl- ] al survey for such data as that Blu eau may have concerning the nature ,f tho lands involved in the claim.
 The Geological Survey notes upon he application whether the land inI question is listed as mineral or non- mineral land. and whether it is shownI ,y the geologic records to contain coal, | ienolepm. mineral or thermal springs ! ,r reservoir or power sites. Follow ng the receipt Of this information ] he land office, in due time. may grant
 patent for the land
 It will be seen that, in the event of ny question arising over on entry ;hich prevents the local register and eceived from issuing 9 final certiti- ate. the papers In a homestead case, fter final proof Is offered must make t least two round trips between and Alaska before patent an issue. If there Is a contest, or ny complication arises out of the lain. this long-distance correspond- nee may be almost indefinitely eS- ended.
 To illustrate the red tape which pre- ails in the methods of.handling AL skan land business, let me present he history Of one or two iand claims D Alaska. The cases citsd are typi- all, taken at random from tho files f Che General Land Office:
 Walter T. Marrett built a house and :. established residence on a homestead | iaim near Flames, Alaska, In April. 902. His claim was unsurycyed and . n unreserved public lands. In 1908 he