The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1939-05-13
AN END TO SUSPENSIONS

Refusal of the Senate Committee on Mines yeser-
day to approve annual bill to suspend the legal
requirements for performance of assessment work on
mining claims indicates that after long years
the National Congress may have decided deal with
this problem realistically
The law requiring performance of 500 worth of
labor yearly on each unpatented mining claim is on
the National statute books It passed only after
due elaboration and a careful investigation 1t was
passed for laudabe purpose and which it still
accomplish, the development of American mineral
lands There is Justification either legal or eco
nomic, for suspendng the law year after year 1t is
still good law and should be kept in full force
In 1882 and 1888 Alaska included in the sus-
pension acts But the Territory at the request OF its
own miners, excluded from suspensions voted in
1884 1885 1886 and 1887 Last year Alaska nclud
ed again but the law passed late in the fiscal
year only the day before all assessment work would
have had to be completed that word of the suspen-
sion did not reach most Alaskan claim holders until
after the fiscal year had expired.
Suspension of the assessment work requirement
first authorized by Congress as long ago as 1893
Prevailing hard times furnished an argument for it
to be enacted again in 1894 but this ended it.
The next recorded instance of suspension is found
when Congress on December 1918, authorized it for
the benefit of those holding claims on the Seward
Peninsula, Alaska with respect to the work required
for that year provided that in each notice to
hold or work the claim duly filed
Not until after the United States had entered the
World War the work requirement again suspend
ed and then only for the benefit of claim holders
ing insahe Army Navy during the and either
during their period of service or until six months
after their death in service after being mustered
out of it, with the provso that notice to hold work
their respective claims should be duly filed This
action was taken on July II, 1917. On October 5 of
that year without repeating the foregoing enactment
in any way the privilege extended to all holders
of claims without mention of those in Alaska, with
the proviso but specifically for the assessment
work years 1917 and 1918 the given being that
labor might thereby be most effectively used in rails
ing and producing things needed in prosecuting the
war The privilege subsequently extended spe-
officially all claim holders Alaska for these two
years and the year 1919 added by action of Con-
gress on February 90 1919 Later in that year, on
November 49, all other holders of claims were granted
suspension for the year 1919 provided notice of desire
to hold claim were filed.
In the succeeding years despite agitation no fur
Their suspension of assessment work was granted to
any claimants whatever by of conditions grow
ing of the In 1921 however Congress changed
the assessment work year from the calendar year to
tension
Agitation for suspension of annual assessment
work again became manifest in 1882, with the deep
ening Of the depression and Congress persuaded
once more to authorize it, That year, and the sub
sequent up to and including 1888, have each
act passed suspendng the legal requirement