Weekly journal-miner., 1922-04-05
NEW LAW. MAY REVISE LAND
 FUR FORESTS
Measure Permitting Transfer of Public Lands for Sections Out side Forest May Affect Rail- road Lands.
From Fridays Daily)

ing has set the seal of official law upon a statute which will materially affect the status of lands in the Prescott, Coconino and Tusayan Ma tional forests. Senate bill No. 490, providing for general land exchange, signed by the president on March 20, will make possible and legal the exchange by the forest of forest de partment of forest lands for railroad lands.
 What this means to the three Ari- zona forests mentioned" H. E.. Wales, supervisor of the Prescott forest, said yesterday in making pub lie forest service information on the subject, may be seen when it is realized that in parts Of northern Arizona, every alternate section of land along the railroad is owned by the road Thus railroad lands and public lands in places form vast checker-board. By exchanging other public lands with the railroads, this checker-board may be broken up and public lands consolidated"
 According to information from the district forester at Albuquerque, "ex- changes are confined to lands within .La a,x+a-;o- ko,,rJor;aS of 1a+;Opo forests, but lands in one forest may be exchanged for lands in different forest providing both of the forests are within the same state. The bill does not provide, for the extension of national forest boundaries by the exchange of lands or timber within a forest for cutover or other lands on the outside" The text of the bill follows:
 S. 49O: An act to consolidate na- tional forest lands.
 Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the United States of America in congress assembled,
 That, when the public interests will be benefited thereby. the secretary of the interior be, and hereby is, au- thorized in his discretion to accept on behalf of the United States title to any lands within the exterior boundaries of the national forests which, i'll the opinion of the secre- tary of agriculture, are chiefly val uable for national forest purposes, and ill exchange therefor may patent not to exceed an equal value Of such national forest land, in the same state, surveyed and nonmineral i'll character, or the secretary of agri- culture 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 secre- tary of agriculture:
 Provided, that before any such eX- change is affected, 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 circu- lation in the county or counties in which may be situated the lands to be accepted, and in some like news paper published in any county in which may be situated any lands or timber to be given in such 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 ill accord ance with the requirements of the secretary of agriculture. Lands con geyed to the United States under his act shall, upon acceptance of title, become parts of the national ! :orest within whose exterior boun- l iaries they are located.