The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-03-16
EXCHANGE FOREST LAND
NEW BILL JUST PASSED
CONSOLIDATE RES ERVEs AND
PROTECT BOTH PUBLIC AND
PRIVATE INTERESTS.

pussvu the mousse .,laIcn D. Inns ull
cOmtenipiates. oI course, tnat wne,,
nauOnal forest Ianu 10 taken iu ca
cnanse, sucn iand snan Ne eliminated
nom the forest anu pass aDsOiuie9 L.
the party niaKins the exchange. } ne
Din also permits the acceptance VI
timber IN exchange Tor lanu surren
uered within a national forest.
Inere nave been numerous Dllis pre-
scented to ana passed Dy congress IA
recent years, authorizing such ex-
changes, ana it IS the view OF the de-
partment OF agriculture, forest serv-
ice and interior department that a gem
eral law should be enacted, applicable
to ali, so that future legislation Will
not be necessary.
feNt OF Measure.
Ine DllI as passed., feaus as lOhOws.
he II enacted Dy the senate ana
house Of representative OF the UNI
TED States OF America, III congress as
stumbled, that when the puDnc interest
Will be benefited thereby, the secre-
tary OF the interior be, and hereby is
authorized, in his discretion, 10 accept,
on behalf of the United states, title 10
any lands within the exterior boun-
darles of the national forests which,
IL the opinion OF the secretary OF agri-
culture, are chiefly valuable Tor ma
tlonal forest purposes, and in exchange
therefor may patent not to exceed an
equal value OF such national forest
land, in the same state, surveyed and
nom mineral in character or the sec
rotary OF agriculture may authorize the
grantor to cut and remove an equal
value of timber within the national
forests of the same state; the values
in each case to be determined by the
secretary of agriculture.
provided, that before any such ex-
change is effected, notice of the con-
templated exchange, reciting the lands
Involved, shall be published without
expense to the United states, once
each week for four successive weeks.
in some newspaper of general circula-
ton in the county or counties in which
may be situated the lands to be ac-
cepted, and in some like newspaper
published in any county in which may
be situated any lands or timber to be
given in exchange.
Timber given in such exchanges
shall be cut and removed under the
laws and regulations relating to the
national forests, and under the direc-
ton and supervision and in accord
ance with the requirements of the sec
rotary of agriculture. Lands conveyed
TO the United States under this act
shall. upon acceptance of title, be-
come parts of the national forest with
in whose exterior boundaries they are
located
Committee Points to Benefits.
The report of the house public lands
committee sets forth the necessity for
this legislation, and in part said:
'The act of March 3. 1891, author
lied the president to set apart as pub
lie reservations lands covered with |
timber, but it was not until June T.
1897, that these timber lands were au-
thorized by congress to be admins |
tered. Upon the passage of the act of |
1897 many national forests were estab-
lished as soon as the timbered areas
could be definitely located. Prior to
the time boundaries We're established,
however numerous tracts of land
bearing heavy bodies of timber and
exceedingly valuable for timber pur-
poses were disposed of under the var
ious public land laws Frequently also
grants had been made to railroads and
for military wagon roads within the
vicinity of these natural units, for for
est administration. On account Of the
intermingling character of these scat
tered holdings, the forest boundaries
could not be drawn to exclude them.
The lands thus acquired were usually
the most accessible and those of the
greatest value in those timbered re-
gions. When the national forest boun-
daries were fixed an effort was made
so far as possible to draw the line to
exclude parts not in government own
ership. For that reason the boundaries
of the forests frequently meandered
back and forth, following the vagaries
of private alterations. In many in
stances large tracts of land princi-
pally in private ownership. within the
interior of the forests were excluded.
THE sundry civil act of June 4, 1897.
provided also a measure for eliminat-
ing these private holdings 1t gave
the owners the right to surrender their
lands and select in lieu thereof an
equal area or unreserved public lands.
Congress very wisely repealed that act
on March 3, 1905, when 1t was found
that cutover and worthless lands were
being rendered the government, and
valuable government lands were being
selected in lieu thereof.
Differs From Old Lieu Act.
THE bill. S. 400, differs from the old
lieu selection act which gave rights to
select lands upon the basis Of actual