The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1916-08-03
MORE LEEWAY Sc.
CURED HOMESTEADER
New Amendment to Homestead Law
Virtually Restores Under Ger
tain Conditions, Another
Homestead Right to Person
Having Used One.
(From the La Grande Observer
July 25, 1870

l
cent amendment to the Enlarged
Homestead act, has been made public
by the La Grsnde land office. The
amendment became effective July Sd
but to date little has reached news
paper columns of its precise working
details. Inquiries are pouring into
the land Office in this city, and Reg
lister F. c. Bramwell and Receiver
Nolan Skiff, have been busy writ
ing letters on this subject. AS aeon.
lprehensive and detailed explanation
of the new law may be cited let
ter forwarded to Joe Fl. Parkes OF
Pendleton today. In this letter to
Mr.. Parkes the officials say:
l am in receipt of your inquiry re]a-
tive to a bill introduced by Congress
man Sinnott, as an amendment to the
enlarged homestead act, authorizing
additional entries for land not con-
tiguous to the original entry. You
ask to be fully advised as to the pro-
visions of this bill.
You perhaps have reference to the
Act of July 3rd, 1916, public No.
|142) amending the Act of February
19th 1909, commonly known as the
enlarged homestead act, by adding
thereto an additional section to be
known as section seven.
This act provides:
"Section Z. That any person who
as made or shall make homestead en-
try of less than three hundred and
twenty acres of land of the charac-
ter herein described, and who shall
have submitted final proof thereon
shall have the right to enter public
lands subject to the provisions of this
act, not contiguous to his first entry
which shall not with the original en-
try exceed three hundred and twenty
acres; Provided, That the land
riginally entered and that covered hy
the additional entry shall first have
been designated as subject to this act,
as provided by section one thereof;
Provided Futher, That in no
case shall patent issue for the land
covered by such additional entry un-
til the person making same shall have
actually and in conformity with the
homestead laws resided upon and cul-
tivated the lands SO additionally en-
tered and otherwise complied with
such laws, except that where the land
mbraced in the additional entry is To-
Gated not exceeding twenty miles
from the land embraced in the orig
inal entry no residence shall be re-
quired on such additional entry if the
entryman is residing on his former
entry; And Provided Further,
That this section shall not be con-
strued as affecting any rights as to
location of soldiers additional home
steads and under section twenty-three
hundred and six of the Revised Stat
tutes''
Under departmental construction as
announced in Circular No 486, ap-
proved July Sth, 1916, additional en-
tries will be allowed only in the
states where the enlarged homestead
act is in force and where final proof
on the original entry has been sub
mitted. Where the additional entry Is
within twenty miles of the original
entry, and the applicant still main
tains his residence on the land first
entered, no residence on the addition
al entry will be required; but culti-
yation, under the Act of June 9Th
1912, must be shown on the submis-
sion of final proof. If the additional
entry is more than twenty miles from
the original entry, both residence and
cultivation, under the three-year law
will be required. To determine the
distance between two entries, the
nearest points measured on straight
line, will control.
In all cases, the land in the original
entry, as well as the land applied for
under the additional application must
be designated under the enlarged
homestead act; but where the land in
either entry has not been already orr
ginated, the applicant may file Pc
tition for designation, in duplicate
as provided by the Act of March 4th
1915, and Departmental Circular No.
402, except that separate petitions
must be filed if the land in both the
original and additional entries has
not been designated.
Where an applicant for an addition
al entry made his original entry in a
different land district, inquiry will be
made of the proper land Office to as
certain whether or not the land in his
original entry has been designated.
If not already designated under the
enlarged homestead act, the applicant
will be allowed thirty days in which
to file petion for designation, COW
ering the undersignated land.
Under this act, any person who has
heretofore made homestead entry
on which proof has been submitted
may make a second, or additional en-
try, for such an area, as will, when
added to the area heretofore, entered
not exceed $40 acres. However, II
such person, for example, has made