Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-06-28
DISTRIBUTING FORFEITED
LANDS.

DISTRIBUTING FORFEITED
LANDS.
or paramount interest to the
people OF southern Oregon. now that
congress has decreed the conditions
upon which the o. & Q. land grant
shall be forfeited to the government.
is the time OF the distribution OF the
2.soo.ooo acres. The various coun-
ties IN which these lands were To-
Gated did not fare a. generously at
the hands OF congress as they should
have Jared, but more essential than
the distribution Of the surplus over
the equity Of the railroad company
IL the getting Of the lands into pri-
vate ownership for improvement and
for tar returns. Clay Tallman. COM
missioner Of the general land ONCE.
visited Oregon at the time Of the
Salem conference and Investigated
the local conditions surrounding the
lands. and is now working upon the
details for the carrying out Of the
instructions Of congress. In re-
cent interview. Mr.. Tallman said that
no time would be lost. so fas as the
department was concerned, in pre-
liminary work necessary to be done
before the agricultural lands are
opened to settlement. The agricul-
tural lands will probably be the first
distributed, requiring less prelimin-
airy work than the timber lands. Mr..
Tallman says:
1T is impossible to give an approx
innate date when the first lands can
be opened to settlement. We first
have to determine exactly what lands
are the lands in which title is re-
vested in the government. While de- |
scriptions of the lands are given In |
the bill of complaint and the decree
Of the district court. and these are
no doubt correct as to the great body !
of the lands, we will have to have
accurate maps prepared, showing ex- /
actly all the lands unsold, patented !
and unpatented, to which the govern
ment resumes title.
1T is our purpose to have pre-
liminary map prepared from the in
formation now available, under which |
the work of classification can pro-
ceed while the final descriptions are /
being worked out. The classification
will be started as soon as possible,
soon after the first Of July. we hope. |
Plans under consideration call for
this work being done by our local
forces in Oregon, expanded to meet
the requirements"
These agricultural lands are such
as are not suitable as power sites,
are non-mineral, and bear timber
growth of less than 1000 feet to
the 40-acre subdivision. The Ian
guage Of the act also permits the
classification as agricultural of scat
tered tracts containing more than
100000 feet Land with not more
than that quantity Of timber is con-
clusively classed as agricultural, II
non-mineral and not power site,
but land containing greater quan-
tity may, in the discretion Of the
department, be also placed in the
agricultural class where 1t is deemed
that location makes II unsuitable for
classification as timber land.
Mineral lands are subject to entry
at the present time under the general !
mining laws. There are no strings
on immediate entry OF the mineral
lands except that the mineral land
locator does not acquire title to the
timber, having the right, however. TO
use timber necessary to the opera ,
ton and development OF mine. !,
No other right can be initiated on