The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-04-20
HEARING ON PROPOSED MINING
LAW REVISION.


The house committee on mines and
mining has announced that hearings
will be held beginning about April q
on what is known as the AREN'T bill for
the revision and codincation of the
mining laws. The bill was prepared by
a committee OF eminent mining engi-
neers and since is provisions were
made pubic it has been the subject OF
much discussion Questionnaires have
been sent out to obtain direct express
sion from persons engaged in mining,
ana state mining organizations have
taken similar means to determine the
attitude OF the industry IN the respect
i've states. Information obtained in
TINS manner, through personal letters,
petitions and expressions from the
mining press rs on lille with the com
mittee. Persons interested have the
privilege OF appearing before the COM
mittee, and 1t Is understood that mem
bers OF the committee which drafted
the bill will be the first witnesses |
called in support of the measure. AL /
though the bill bears the name OF Con
gresham AREN'T, Of Nevada a mining |
engineer OF wide experience. that gem
ueman has made it clear that he in
troduced the Dill merely to get 1t be
lore the public and that he is not com
mltted to all its provisions
The bill has been published by the
Miner and its provisions extensively
discussed The American Mining CON
gress sent out a quesuonnaire which
resulted in perhaps the most compre-
hensive expression that has been OBJ
tanned. This showed substantial
majority against the abolition of ex-
tralateral rights, the very thing which
more than any other provision prompt
ed the drafting OF the revision bill
Even many oil those who believe that
the square claim with All under ground
rights limited to vertical planes ex-
tended from the surface boundaries
recognize that the adoption OF this sys- i
TEN would involve complications ana
possibly more litigation tnan is ex-
perienced under the present apex law,
and therefore oppose it, while reports
indicate that large number probably
half OF those who expressed an opin-
ION, believe in the principle OF the apex
law and will strongly resist this at
tempt to abolish it, The mining indus
Try has expanded and prospered under
It's operation, and that is the best an
'wer to those who are constantly
larping upon its disadvantages.
one of the most absurd provisions OF
he AREN'T bill is that requiring min
ng claims to conform to the public
surveys. This is SO manifesuy i'm
PRACTICAL that 1t is not believed the
ponsors for the bill viii urge IT'S ac-
eptance. Another unwise provision is
hat permitting location and holding OF
iaims five years without mineral dis
overy, and permitting holding them
mother five years upon payment OF
80 per acre annually. This coupled
18th the proposal to allow cash pay
lent in lieu OF assessment work would
ermit holding large areas of mineral
md indefinitely without development ~,
.ork. Another provision that is prop DO
rly meeting strong opposition is that
squiring a certificate OF discovery 90
'om mineral surveyor Think of i'm nj,
osing that useless expense upon the o.,
yerage prospector. 81
OF course the present mining laws e.,
re not perfect but far better to let
lem stand as they are rather than to A,
limit to the radical and impractical
rovisions OF the Arentz bill The best
nalysis of the bill as rejecting the
-titude Of the mining industry is that tire
repaired by committee appointed for an
lie purpose by Columbia section of the ella
meriean Institute of Mining and Met it
lurgicaI engineers. The committee bu
as composed of Francis A. Thomson. int
san of the Idaho school of mines and Pre-
secutive director of the state bureau du
mines and geology, chairman: STAN abb
A. Easton, manager Of the Bunker me