The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-06-24
NE 262
WELCOME CHANGE.

By securing a change i'll the Alaska homestead laws Delegate Sulzer has done an inestimable service for the homesteaders and indirectly for the entire population. Many men can testify that 1t has been almost i'm possible to prove up oil their entries under the existing laws.
 At the present time the law states that d man may file on one hundred and sixty acres and that he must live on it seven months ;, of each year for period of three years. . slight deviations are allowed because O. illness, failure of crops or to allow chil- dren to go to school. He cannot under any circumstances be absent for period of more .han one year. Two homes cannot be mair- ,ained. Wood cannot be cut and sold from tie homestead. Along navigable streams ,lgnty rods has been reserved between entries and the water front limited to one hundred and sixty rods Regulations for filing on Ii surveyed lands are practically the same as for surveyed, but when it comes to proving up the settler has to pay the expense of hay ing it surveyed. In 1ol6 the amount of land allowed in each entry was cut from three hundred and twenty acres to one hundred and sixty. It is possible to commute under existing laws.
 The above regulations are well fitted to the States with which the law makers have been familiar, but they are not applicable here. A man should be allowed to cut wood and sell it provided that he follows with culti- vation. This provision would necessarily have to be carefully guarded, for there would be some interruptions men who would file on homestead for the wood on it and with no idea of settling. Our working season is approximately five months, consequently, in stead of being compelled to live on it for seven months, the ruling should allow the settler to spend the seven months off of it if he feels it necessary. For the most part the eighty rod reservation is useless here on our small streams. To one who knows the habits of the Alaska streams with their many chan nels and crooked courses the one hundred and sixty rod shore limit is ridiculous. It be- comes worse than that when a man lives on homestead for twelve years and cannot get patent simply because he is unfortunate enough to be located on bend in the stream He has offered to cut off the point of the pc nlnsula, but then the endless chain of red tape makes years more of waiting. Cases where 1t IS one or even two miles around by rlvcr and only three or four rods across the loop are numerous. It is just about impos- s4ble for one to file on such land, no matter how desirable it may be otherwise. With the worlds supply of grain running short l bound to continue that way in the fu- ., it will be very desirable for Alaskans to raise grain. Winter wheat or rye must be planted before any of our crops can be hal\ csted, and as result two years are nec "ssary for the raising of one crop Also the fertility of our land cannot be maintained forever and green manure crops are neces- "".y here where the raising of stock is not yet feasible or likely to be for years to come lc -nmedy these conditions much larger acreage should be allowed in Interior Alaska The surveying of homesteads in the unsur- veyed area is very expensive and should be done by men regularly employed by the gov ernment. If more power was given to the local land office officials much of the present day red tape might be done away with.
 Congress is reasonable, perhaps too much so. They are doing what appears to be req sonable to them as they view it out there. The opinion of our delegate without numer- ous documents to back him is not going to change them. It is up to us to help him show them. Delegate Sulzer's genuine in terest has been shown by his untiring efforts in our behalf and he is more than ready to cooperate in any move which will aid the settler. Home production will mean cheaper food and consequently more mining opera tions Everyone should help the delegate, regardless of politics.
 IJNRFST STREAMING