The Glenwood post., 1918-03-09
Taylor Gets Rise From Geo
logical Survey Which In.
dicates Some Progress
A new APPROPRIATION

a eASoe hiAy P>oRAS l" 'oANNN
have long been wondering what is to
become of the new stock raising law
which few praise and many pronoahce
a gigantic farce. So much interest has
been shown in the bih that over 5000
people in Colorado have made spplica
ton to file on lands under this new
640-acre homestead act. Some thought
to file on these lands because they
really wanted the lands, while others
made application for filing purely as
a matter of self protection, knowing
that under n bill of such sweeping pro-
visions the lands lying adjacent to or
near their present holidays will surely
be taken up by somebody and thus tho
pasture which they had supposed would
be available for the neighborhood for
this bill, decided they would mako
themselves safe in the possession of
one of these stock raising homesteads.
And thus it appear that much of the
filing under this act has been by old
settlers aas a means <of protecting them
selves in the grazing lands in the use
of which they have heretofore felt SC
cure.
applications for filing under this
act have all been held up, psnding the
classification of tho .lands-by :ths U. g.
Geological survey. Congressman Tay-
lor, knowing the anxiety of the people
who have sought the protection of the
new bill, has recently made efforts to
p, ascertain from the survey the progress
being made in this direction and has
forwarded the Pest "a copy ,'ofaa letter
he recently received on the subject
from Hon. George Otis Smith, director
of the survey. :WAhile this letter is
neither very definite or assuring it at
least shows that some progres lis being
made toward the classification of the
lands to be availahae for filing under
the new law. and iH view of the fact
that congress has jusa passed an .appro-
,vey to enable it to complete this classi-
fication, it is reasonable to assume
that greater progress will in the future
be made along that line than has been
made in the past For the benefit of
those interested the PosH is pleased to
print General Smith s communication
in full as fOllcws.
Washington D. c., Heb. Is, 1915
Hon. Edward 7. Taylor,
House of Representatives.
My dear Mr.. Taylor:
] am in receipt of your letter Of
February 7, 1918, inclosing n request
from Hon. Harry v. Pyle of Dolores,
Colorado, dated February l, 1918, in
quiring concerning progress being
made in the designation of lands nnder
the stock raising homestead act.
During the past field season the Geo
logical survey had five parties in the
field in Colorado examining lands aD-
piled for under the stock raising homo
Stead act. These parties operated in
the Glenwood Springs, Sterling, Del
Nortc, Pueblo and Lamar land dis
tricts. Practically all of the lands in
cluded in applications filed in the sterl-
ing, Del Norte and Lamar land dis
tricts were examined and large ares
included in applications pending in the
GIenwood Springs and Pueblo land dis
tricts was also examined, but it was
impossible to complete examinations in
these areas before weather conditions
made further work impracticable.
The reports on these field examina-
tions have been sent to the Washington
office where they are now Under con-
sideration. 1t is expected that por.
tion of the lands in the Glenwood |
Springs land district will be classified
in the near future and that classifica-
tions in the other areas will be made |
during the course Of the winter.
The total number Of applications
filed in the state of Colorado is approx
imately 5000 and because of the di.
versity in climatic and other conditions
it is necessary in many areas to OK
anime in detail the lands applied for.