The Alaska daily empire., 1920-02-13
LEASING BILL
 q { GIVES ALASKA ::
 CHANCE AT OIL
Tracts Not to Exceed 3200 Acres May be Staked, and Leased if Drilling Starts Within Two Years-"Per- manent Lease" Provision in Act. Permits Must be Issued.

SEATTLE, Feb. 13.-A Washing ton special to the Post-Intelligencer today says that thousands of people from all parts of the country, and in Alaska are eagerly awaiting Presi- dent Wilson's signature to the oil land leasing bill before rushing to file on the governments oil reserves The bill gives priority in leases to the first filers. se
 Only the oil and gas sections of the oil land bill which has been passed by Congress, and is now in the hands of President Wilson for his signature, apply to Alaska, The Associated Press today cabled The Empire.
 The A. P. declares that coal land leasing in Alaska is already taken care of, in existing laws.
 Alaskans themselves, who are in- terested in oil ani gas development in the north, wrote the oil-gas leas-. ing sections into the new act. These provisions will permit the stalking and leasing of tracts not exceeding 3.200 acres in extent Not more than Eve prospecting permits, will be. is, sued to any one applicant. and these will run for a period not exceeding four years. Drilling nut be started ,n oil properties "staked for lease" within two years after the permits are issued. The bill contains a remedial sec ion designed to protect the inter- ssts of about no claimants whose claims on oil land in the KatalIa felds have been pending for the past 20 years, and resulted from the with irawal of Alaska oil and gas lands rom development during the opera ion of the conservation policy.
 Additional details of the working If the new law were telegraphed to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer from Washington last night, and transmit ed to The Empire. s
 The Post.Intelligencer correspond ent says the bill provides that before | lease of any particular area may be filed, the application must locate the lands in reasonable and compact },orm. and according to the legal suh- livisions of land surveys. and in ap- proximate square or rectangular form f the land Is not surveyed, the length of the tract not to exceed two and one-half times the width" A monn- ment not less than four feet high must be erected on the tract and in a conspicuous place must be posted notice that application for pernna- nent lease will be made within 30 days after the date of the posting of the notice. The notice must con- tain the name, date and description If the area. and other data. and legally witnessed.
 Seekers after any particular tract must be those who are first on the ground when the bill becomes law. They must be able to prove that their notices went up after the act is signed.
 Alaskans feel that the Territory Is on the eve of 2 tremendous develop ment in oil. The section where oil indications are most promising. sis sufficiently large to give everybody chance to get ground. and with the railroad certain to be built from Cor dova. into the oil and gas fields. transportation will be assured for da velopers. M It is estimated that the railroad from Cordova to the Kataila oi fields. could be built within 90 days Eff rushed. Material for the road has been assembled at Cordova for sonia