Gunnison news-champion. [volume] (Gunnison, Colo.) 1905-1932, 1923-04-13
ASSESSMENT WORK UNDER
THE LAW OF 1872

Engineering and Mining JouTual-Press
Prom the several articles you
published concerning assessment
work. gather that il ~as the
purpose Of Congress, by its act IN
connection. herewith, TO extend
the annual assessment work
period for = matter Of six months,
Ir connection with all mining
claims located either before or
4 since the passage OF such assess
mrrt work time-eNtrHsIun act
"lt uuH appears chat consider
/ able confusion aDsrz, as well-in-
| formed attorneys claim that such
, assess mcut work period was thus
! extended in connection with all
| mining claim locations, and other
/ equally capable attorneys con
tend that such Is not the case"
| On August oath. 1921, 4 bill was
passed making the AsscssmeGt-wors
! year concidr with the fiscal year in
stead of with the calendar year. II Is
20 be noted that the law requiring per
Torrance Of assessment work was
completely suspended in 1917, 1918 and
1919, and that no work was necessary
during these years in order TO mold
claims. But for the year 1920 the
stipulated amount of work was rcquir-
ed. and likewise for 1921, the time in
which the work must be done for both
these periods merely having been eN-
tended (for the latter period incident
ally by virtue of the new lawD by six
months.
Previous to the passage OF the law
Of August "a, 1921, the year within
which work was to be performed was
the calendar year beginning with the
first day of January next succeeding
the date of the location, and ending
with the thirty-first day of December,
(See "Iindley on Mines" Sec. 1927 !
According to Lindley, location made |
on January /, 1908, need not have |
been represented until December 1904,
thus permitting the claim to be held |
practically two years, without the
necessity of performing any work
whatever, except such preliminary de-
velopment as might have been requir-
ed BY the laws of the several states as
an act of location.
The new law, however, which was
signed on August "a, 1921 lis very de-
finite in its amendment. II says:
THE period within which the
work required to be done annually
on all unpatented mineral claims
located since May 10, 1872, in
GLIDING such claims in the Tern
tory of Alaska, shall commence at
~ o'clock meridian on the first day
of July succeeding the date of To-
cation of such claims: Provided |
further, that on all such valid ex-
listing claims the annual period
ending December 81, 1921, shall
continue to IL o'clock meridian
July /, 1922"
Suppose, therefore, that a claim was
located March 80, 1921, the location
work done in June 1921 and the claim /
recorded June Is, 1921 1--WE are citing |
an actual case). The law at that |
time gave the locator until midnight of |
! December 81, 1922, to do his 1922, Tor |
first year, assessment work. On Aug |
ust "a, 1921, the law quoted above was |
passed and in view of its specific |
wording, it will be seen that the locat-
or's first year assessment work had to |
be done by July l, 1929. or six months |
earlier than under the old law. Thus |
he lost six months of the time that !
he would have had for doing his first |
years work, had the new law not |
been passed. He had until noon, July |
l, 1928 to do his second years assess
ment work 1t is confusing to call
this his 1922 or 1923 assessment work, |
as the year now runs from July I,
noon to July l, noon. II seems, tho,
/ that every claim holder whose assess
! ment work was done under the old
law to be done by December 81, 1921,