The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-12-06

Proposed changes in the Uni
ted States mining laws that would
impose CALLING restrictions on ar
already overburdened industry and
as sought in a confidential docu-
ment of the Department of the In
terror and disclosed for the first
time by the Los Angeles Times are
as follows:
1--As to locations made subse-
quent to the effective date of the
proposed act, the distinction be-
tween placer and lode claims is
abandoned. The size of a single
claim is limited to 40 acres, rectan-
gular in shape with the longer di-
mension not more than twice the
width. A patent based upon a val
liable discovery will include any
vein, lode or placer deposits with
in the boundary of the patented
claim, but it will not include the
eXtralateral rights which heretofore
have belonged to lode patentee.
The purchase price will be $3.50
Where a claim embraces less than
| five acres, if the land is mineral
the Secretary may issue a patent
without proof of discovery sub
ject to such regulations as he may
issue.
2-Claims located on surveyed
land shall conform as nearly as
practicable according to the sur
vey. On unsurveyed land claims
shall be located in east-west, north
south lines, connected by course
and distance to the nearest survey
corner if within two miles; if no
such corner is available the claim
is to be connected to two perman-
ent prominent natural objects or
monuments.
Surface flights
3-Any patent issued for a To-
cation made after the date of the
proposed act will convey title to
the minerals within the claim
boundary together with the right
to cut timber needed in mining
operations pursuant to rules to be
issued by the Secretary. Such
| patent, unlike mineral patents
heretofore issued, will reserve
to the United States the surface
i, and surface resources, with a
right in the mineral patent hold
! err to make only such use of the
surface as is necessary for min
ing operations.
4-The proposed legislation max
es provision for a new type of min
ing location to be known as
geological mining claim A geo.
logical mining claim may be located
prior to discovery. 1t may be not
more than $40 acres in size or
two miles in length, and the ptal
acreage of all contiguous geologi-
cal mining claims of one claim
ant may not exceed $500 acres. The
requirements with respect to monu-
menting and recording the claim
are the same as those for ordinary
mining claims. In addition, the geo.
logical mining claimant will file
with the bureau a statement of
the geological Or geophysical pros
pecting to be undertaken. A geolog-
ical mining claim may be held for
two years and if a discovery is
made and an ordinary mining claim
is located on the basis of such dis
covery, the geological mining claim
may be extended for an additional
year.
Must File Statement
5-The holders of all ordinary
mining locations, whether mi
tiated before or after the date
of the proposed act, are required
to file with the bureau a state
ment describing the location of
the claim and such other facts
as the Secretary may prescribe.
No such statement is now re-
uired
Assessment Increased 500
6-The value of annual assess
ment work is increased from the
present Sl00 to $500 per year, and
If an application for patent has not
been filed within five years after
the date of location, or the pass
age of the act, whichever is later,
the value of the annual assess
ment work is increased thereafter
TO 5000 per year.
THE claimant is required to
file with the bureau an annual
statement cf assessment work
performed, and failure to file this
statement Or to perform the assess