Montana labor news., 1937-06-03
PROSECUTORS MAY
BE ALLOWED Time
ON ASSESSMENTS
Continued from Page y

To grant these miners and pros
pectors exemption for this year from
doing the annual work, and thereby
protecting them in their ownership
as against the claim-jumpers who
will appropriate these claims by new
locations will work no hardship on
anyone. To take away this protec-
ton from the unfortunate class
named in the bill will work a severe
hardship on the rightful owner. The
benefits and discoveries won by
years of hard work, and money spent
in development of the vein, will
pass to the new location of the
ground.
What opposition that has come to
my attention is mostly academic. The
editor of the Engineering and Min
ing Journal has written me enclosing
an editorial that was printed in the
May, 1886, number. The substance
Of this editorial was not in favor of
exemption for last year. A small
number of representative mine oper-
ators and mining engineers had been
requested by the Journal to state
their opinion and all except one ex-
pressed themselves as not in favor
of exemption. Let it be remarked
here, judged by the names and posi-
tons held by these men, they were
not, even if they owned any I'M
patented mining claims, the ones to
whom exemption of annual work
would apply. This bill proposes to
help those unfortunate claim owners
who have been without employment
most of the several past years. The
man fortunate enough to pay an
income tax and secure in a well paid
position as Superintendent OF Man
ager will be required to do his an
nual work. The mining company, if
operating profitably and holding
more than IL claims, will be required
to do its annual work. In short, for
the intrenched mining industry, at
no cost to itself, to begrudge the I'M
fortunate prospector relief from ex-
penditure, and grant him protection
in his ownership, is not in keeping
with the spirit of helping our citi-
zens who r in need.
If Congress fails to grant exemp-
ton it will however create the OPP
p~ortunity for a class of alert and
covetous citizens of our mining COM
munities to relocate many of these
claims because the present owners
of the claims are not in a position
to conform to the legal require
ments to hold a title. From the fore
going 1 believe it has been made
clear that granting the restricted
exemption for this year will harm
no one and will help a large number
of our industrious but financially I'M
fortunate citizens.
S. 1877
In the Senate Of the United States,
January 6, 1887.
Mr.. Murray introduced the follow
ing bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Public
Lands and Surveys. February "a
calendar day, March 81, 1887. The
Committee on Public Lands and Sur
veys discharged, and referred to the
Committee on Mines and Mining.
A BILL
Providing for the suspension of an
nual assessment work on mining
claims held by location in the
United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Con-
gress assembled, that the provision
of section 1924 of the Revised Stat
utes of the United States, which re-
quires on each mining claim located,
and until a patent has been issued
therefor, not less than $500 worth of
labor to be performed or improve
ments aggregating such amount to
be made each year, be, and the same
is hereby, suspended as to all mining
claims in the United States during
the year beginning at IL o'clock
meridian July l, 1886, and ending
at 70 o'clock meridian July l, 1887:
Provided, That the provision of this
Act shall not apply in the case of any
claimant not entitled to exemption
from the payment of a Federal in
come tax for the taxable year 1886;
Provided further, that every claim
ant of any such mining claim, in
order to obtain the benefits of this
Act, shall file, or cause to be filed,
in the office where the location no
tice or certificate is recorded, on or
| before IL o'clock meridian July |,
1887, q notice of his desire to hold
said mining claim under this Act,
which notice shall state that the
claimant, or claimants, were entitled
to exemption from the payment of
a Federal income tax for the taxable
| year 1886: Provided, further, that
such suspension of assessment work
shall not apply to more than six
Undermining claims held by the same
person, nor to more than twelve
lode-mining claims held by the same
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