The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-03-21

stated that an amended ShipStead-
Nolan bill had been agreed upon and
had been reported out of the House
committee on Public Lands. The dis
patch also stated that there were about
a half dozen undermining amendments
to the original bill and that practic-
ally everything asked for by the people
in the territory affected had been re-
commended in the amended bill with
the exception of the territory affected
which is left north of township line
co. instead of north of township line
SO" and excluding the Cook and Bear
River Farming districts as asked for
The dispatch from Washington said:
Several important amendments to
the Nolan conservation bill have been
agreed upon by the house public lands
committee Not until the committee
makes its formal written report, how
ever, will the full scope and effect of
these amendments be known
Among the most important changes
voted by the committee at it's execu-
tive session Friday is one STIMULATING
that nothing in the Nolan bill shall
conflict with provisions of the act
creating the international joint COM
mission which has full authority over
all matters involving the boundary be-
tween the United States and Canada
This is in line with the recommend
atoms of the State department.
1.-THE committee apparently failed to
adopt the amendment proposed by
Congressman William A. Pittenger of
Duluth, restricting the area covered by
the Nolan bill to 100000 acres instead
of 100000 arces.
Several other of the proposed
amendments are contained in the Pit
tenger substitute bill Among these
is one authorizing the construction of
temporary dams for logging purposes
and permitting the storage of water,
if not above the normal water level
Another provides that all govern
ment lands outside the Superior Nat
ional forest shall be under the super
vision of the U. S. forestry service
Still another provides that nothing in
the bill shall interfere with the Gabbro
lake project of the Minnesota Power
& Light company and that the owners
may go into court to establish their
rights, if any"
Congressman Pittenger said he had
not been able to obtain copy of the
amendments voted by the committee
and that until he had seen them he
did not care to express his views on
them
ut would appear that practically all
the amendments except the state de-
partment amendment are contained in
the bill" he said. II regret very much
that the unofficial information in
dicates that the committee has not ap-
proved of the restricted area as con-
tanned in the Pittenger bill and with
out the restricted area the situation is
very unsatisfactory.
1.-THE unrestricted area contains lots
of agricultural lands and villages where
the people object to being included in
the area of the Nolan bill I intend
to make a study Of all amendments
when finally prepared and then may
have something to say"
That the withdrawal by Secretary
of the Interior Wilbur of his objections
to the ENACTMENT of border region con-
servation legislation sped up the work
of the house public lands committee
and their report on the bill will clear
the way for early action by congress
on this measure, appears to be the pre-
vailing opinion among those who are
keeping in touch with developments.
For while it looked as though
action on this matter had been defin-
itely blocked for this session Sec
rotary Wilbur's first announced attitude
that survey of this region should be
made by congressional commission
before any laws regulating 1t was
passed, coupled with the objection
voiced by the state department to the
enactment of regulatory legislation in
this connection as long as the matter
was in the hands of the international
joint commission, made it appear as
if it would be futile for congress to
take any action at this time.
1t is now understood that the state
departments objections have little or
nothing to do with the matters at
issue and that congress is perfectly
justified in passing any laws it deems
necessary for the protection of this
region against the Backus dam pro-
ject. The open announcement by Sec
rotary Wilbur that instead of being
against congressional action at this
time, he is heartily in favor of it, has
put an entirely different complexion
on the case. Congress is now free to
act and indications are that this piece
of legislation will come up for early
settlement.
Counties File Strong Brief.
At the hearing before the house COM
mittee the issues involved in the meas
ure were presented for the counties of
Lake and Cook by Senator Henry L.
NORM of Duluth in brief which con-
tanned Illuminating points. According
to the dispatch, this brief evidently
was considered and the amendments
asked for were embodied in the bill
before being voted out of the COM
mittee with the exception of the ter
ritory amendment The brief as pre-
sented read as follows:
cit is suggested that the first section
OF the Nolan bill be amended by
striking out all that portion of said
section beginning with the word that
in line 3 and ending with the word
Minnesota in line S. which excluded
portion reads as follows:
THAT all public lands of the United
States situated north of Township go
north in the counties of Cook, Lake
and ST. Louis, in the State OF Min
| neSota.'
"And by inserting in lieu thereof,
the following described language:
THAT all public lands of the United
| States, situated in the following des-
cribed area, to-wit: Beginning at a
| point on the Internationalal bound
airy line between the Dominion of Can
| ada and the United States, where the
Il fey~1xy iva nf