Arizona state miner., 1919-08-01
Rules Governing Oil Locations

In response to many inquiries
relative to oil locations and the
regulations provided for location
of government land for oil and
gas, the following will be of in
terest to all who may contem-
plate the filing of oil and gas
leases and explains the rules and
regulations to be followed:
Allvacant unappropriated and unre-
served public lands CHIEFLY valuable for
their deposits of petroleum or other
mineral oils, may be located under the
placer mining laws of the United States,
but no oil location is perfected until
discovery of mineral within the limit
of the claim has been made (Bay City
Oil Company, ct al VS.. Alvarado Oil
Company, 43 L. D., 1917 In New
Mexico, however, the state laws pro-
vide that when lands have been located
for petroleum or natural gas or both,
the locator or locators thereof shall
have the right to the exclusive posses
sion and occupancy of the land embraced
in the location for the purpose of pros
pecting for petroleum, oil and gas dur
ing the period from the date OF location
of the claims to the end of the calendar
year succeeding that in which the loca-
tion was made (proviso to section 1851,
compiled laws of New Mexico, 1915.
So if an oil location was made for un-
appropriated unreserved lands in New
Mexico during May of this year, the
locator of locators would have the ex-
elusive possession thereof until mid
night of December 81, 1920, to prose
cute their work with a veiw of making
discovery of oil within the limits of
! the claim.
One person or Individual may locate
20 acres, and corporation is consid-
cred an individual in the location of
placer claims; two persons 40 acres and
| for each additional locator, the claim
may be larger by 20 acres until 100
acres is reached, which is the maximum
claim. But the association claims of
| 100 acres or less the locators must have
an equal bona fide interest in the claim
| located, for no one can use his name
for the use and benefit of somebody
else. No limit is placed upon the num-
Der of oil claims which individuals or
associations may locate, but the fact
that oil has been discovered on one
claim would not validate the other ad-
| joining locations without an actual dis
covery of oil on them (see section 1920
of the revised statutes.)
| Oil claims in groups of five, if contin-
uous and owned in common may be
developed by single common improve
ment, provided that it tends to the dev-
elopment OF or to determine the oil
bearing character of the contiguous
claims for which it is sought to be ap-
piled, and provided further that dis
covery OF oil has been made on each of
said contiguous claims for which it is
sought to be applied, and provided fur
ther, that discovery of oil has been
on each of said contiguous claims (see
Smith VS.. Union Oil company, 135 Pac.
Rep. 966, affirmed by the United State
Supreme Court Reps 3O8.)
An act act passed by the last Arizona
legislature which will apply amends
the civil code of 1913, section 4O32 as
follows:
Such surface boundaries shall be
marked by six substantial posts proiec-
ting at least feet above the surface
of the ground, or by substantial stone
! monuments at least feet high, to-wit:
one at each corner of said claim, and
one at the center of the end line
thereof: provided, however, that when
the point of monument of mining
claim is at the same point and comedies
with a monument of survey of the
United States, the monument of such
government survey shall be and is
hereby declared to be mining claim
of claims heretofore or hereafter loca-
ted.
The above act was approved by the
governor March 20, 1919.