The Alaska daily empire., 1918-02-21
PASSAGE OF ALASKA BILL !S RECOMMENDED House Committee Approves the SulZer Bill and
 Asks for Its
 Passage. WILL HELP SETTLERS Delegate Will Have Charge of the Bill When It
 Comes Up for
 Hearing.
WILL HELP SETTLERS

w ASf1lNOI IO4N, U. 1., r tU. l.-
 Special to Empire )-The House
 Committee on public lands, of which
 Delegate Charles A. Sulzer is a
 member, recommends for passage I Mr Sulzer's bill providing for free
 surveys of homesteads on unsur- veyed lands in Alaska, and author
 ized Delegate Sulzer to report the
 measure, which means, of course,
 that he will have charge of the
 bill when it comes up for hearing.
 Mir Sulzer prepared the following | report:
 | The Committee on Public Lands, | to which was referred H. R. S563,
 providing for free surveys of iso- | lated homestears in Alaska, having | had same under consideration, re- spectfully recommend it's passage without amendment
 The bill extends to homestead CTS in sections not covered by the system of public land surveys a measure of relief that should has ten the settlement of agricultural areas in the territory and promote the development of additional food supplies for the Nation.
 The bill was referred to the De- partment of the Interior for report and recommendation. The Secre tary of the Interior reported there on as follows:
 Department of the Interior. Washington, Jan. 23, 1918. Hon. Scott Ferris,
 Chairman Committee on the Pub lie Lands,
 House of Representatives. My Dear MT. Ferris:-
 l am in receipt of your favor of the 23rd inst. transmitting a copy of House bill S563, entitled, "A Bill to amend the homestead law in it's application to Alaska, and for other purposes" and asking a report thereon, together with such suggestions and recommenda- tions as l may desire to make. This bill amends the act of July
 8, 1916 (39 Stat, 352, by the addition of a new section, which will be numbered section 2, provid
 ing that if the system of public surveys has not been extended over the land included in a homestead I entry, the entryman may, after com pliance with the terms of the home stead law, submit proof thereof tn hp irta ,,I hN thereupon, if satisfied with the showing, will so advise the survey or general of the Territory, this officer to then take the necessary steps for the survey of the home stead at the expense sof the gov ernment
 The homestead law as now appli- cable to the Territory of Alaska, requires settlers on unsurveyed land
 in the said territory to have sur veys thereof made at their own expense, condition which entails great hardship, for the expense is almost prohibitive, especially as such surveys are usually made sing ly and the expense thereof, there fore, greatly increased. I think it
 just that the government should make these surveys without expense to the settlers after a satisfactory showing as to the compliance with the law has been submitted by the homesead claimant, and by making such surveys in groups, as it may be done under the measure proposed therein, great portion of the cost may be eliminated. The general theory that public lands are offer ed for disposal not burdened with the cost of survey can only be made applicable to Alaska by the execution of the survey, after entry, without cost to the entryman, in stead of prior thereto as elsewhere. The postponment of the right of entry until after survey would cer- tainly prove serious deterrent to the settlement of the Territory, and the expense of survey, if plac- ed upon the settler, would have a similar effect; but there is no req son why, if the settler does not desire to await the free survey. of the land, he should not secure ear Her action by special survey at his own expense. and the bill so provides
 Since the Sixty-third Congress, several bills have been introduced looking toward the enactment of