An Act to amend the Color of Title Act
PL 83-159 (H.R.1308), enacted 07/28/1953

67 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 159-JULY 28, 1953 
227 
the United States, or a guarantor, surety or personal representative of 
any such officer, agent or contractor, and to render judgment thereon, 
where— 
"(1) claimant or the person he represents has applied to the 
proper department of the Government for settlement of the 
account; 
"(2) three years have elapsed from the date of such application 
without settlement; and 
"(3) no suit upon the same has been brought by the United 
States." 
SEC. 10. Section 2508, title 28, United States Code, is hereby amended 
"oce^d^e!'" 
to read as follows: 
"Upon the trial of any suit in the United States Court of Claims in 
which any setoff, counterclaim, claim for damages, or other demand 
is set up on the part of the United States against any plaintiff making 
claim agaiiist the United States in said court, the court shall hear and 
determine such claim or demand both for and against the United 
States and plaintiff. 
"If upon the whole case it finds that the plaintiff is indebted to the 
United States it shall render judgment to that effect, and such judg-
ment shall be final and reviewable. 
"The transcript of such judgment, filed in the clerk's office of any 
district court, shall be entered upon the records and shall be enforce-
able as other judgments." 
SEC. 11. Section 2510, title 28, United States Code, is amended to 
read as follows: 
"The Comptroller General may transmit to the Court of Claims 
for trial and adjudication any claim or matter of which the Court 
of Claims might take jurisdiction on the voluntary action of the claim-
ant, together with all vouchers, papers, documents, and proofs per-
taining thereto. 
"The Court of Claims shall proceed with the claims or matters so 
referred as in other cases pending in such court and shall render 
judgment thereon." 
SEC. 12. Section 2511, title 28, United States Code, is hereby amended 
to read as follows: 
"Notice of suit under section 1494 of this title shall be given to the 
'^'*'*' ^' "^• 
Attorney General, to the Comptroller General, and to the head of the 
department requested to settle the account in question. 
"The judgment of the Court of Claims in such suit, or of the Supreme 
Court upon review, shall be conclusive upon the parties, and payment 
of the amount found due shall discharge the obligation. 
"The transcript of such judgment, filed in the clerk's office of any 
district court, shall be entered upon the records, and shall be enforce-
able as other judgments." 
Approved July 28, 1953. 
Public Law 159 
CHAPTER 254 
AN ACT 
To amend the Color of Title Act. 
TH. R.'1308] 
July 28, 1953 
TH. -
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representati'ves of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the part of 
section 1 of the Act of December 22, 1928 (45 Stat. 1069; 43 U. S. C , 
1946 ed., sec. 1068 et seq.), preceding the first proviso is amended to 
read as follows: 
C o l o r of T itli: 
Act, amendments. 
228 
PUBUC LAW 160-JULY 28, 1953 
[67 S T A T . 
Public land pat-
ents. 
Mineral reserva* 
tion. 
"That the Secretary of the Interior (a) shall, whenever it shall 
be shown to his satisfaction that a tract of puolic land has been 
held in good faith and in peaceful, adverse, possession by a claim-
ant, his ancestors or grantors, under claim or color of title for 
more than twenty years, and that valuable improvements have 
been placed on such land or some part thereof has been reduced to 
cultivation, or (b) may, in his discretion, whenever it shall be 
shown to his satisfaction that a tract of public land has been held 
in good faith and in peaceful, adverse, possession by a claimant, 
his ancestors or grantors, under claim or color of title for the 
period commencing not later than January 1, 1901, to the date of 
application during which time they have paid taxes levied on the 
land by State and local governmental units, issue a patent for not 
to exceed one hundred and sixty acres of such land upon the pay-
ment of not less than $1.25 per acre:". 
SEC. 2. The following section is added to the Act of December 22, 
1928, supra: 
"SEC. 3. If the claimant requests that the patent to be issued under 
this Act not contain a mineral reservation and if he can establish to 
the satisfaction of the Secretary that the requirements of this Act 
have been complied with by such claimant and his predecessors for 
the period commencing not later than January 1, 1901, to the date of 
application, no mineral reservation shall be made unless the lands 
are, at the time of issuance of the patent, within a mineral withdrawal 
or subject to an outstanding mineral lease." 
Approved July 28, 1953. 
July 28, 1953 
[H. R. 3581] 
Public Law 160 
CHAPTER 255 
AN ACT 
To further the policy enunciated in the Act of October 26, 1949 (63 Stat. 927), 
to facilitate i)ublic participation in the preservation of sites, buildings, and 
objects of national significance or interest by providing for a National Trust 
for Historic Preservation in the United States. 
National T r u s t 
for Historic Pres-
ervation in U. S. 
General trustees. 
16 u s e 468b. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemMed, Thatji in order to 
further the policy of historic preservation in the United States as 
enunciated in the Act of October 26, 1949 (63 Stat. 927), the third, 
fourth, and fifth sentences of section 3 of that Act are hereby amended 
to read as follows: "The number of general trustees shall be fixed by 
the Board of Trustees of the National Trust and shall be chosen by 
the members of the National Trust from its members at any regular 
meeting of said National Trust. 
The respective terms of office of 
the general trustees shall be as prescribed by said board of trustees 
but in no case shall exceed a period of five years from the date of 
election. A successor to a general trustee shall be chosen in the same 
manner and shall have a term expiring five years from the date of the 
expiration of the term for which his predecessor was chosen, except 
that a successor chosen to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expira-
tion of such term shall be chosen only for the remainder of that 
term.". 
Approved July 28, 1953.