LAND LAWS APPLYING TO ALASKA. 29 



ducks and geese are plentiful in the spring and fall, and fresh gull eggs may be 

 had for the gathering. To add to all this, if ready money is not available, I 

 can always make good wages at least by washing out gold on the beach. 



Surely there is here a combination of resources that makes failure 

 well-nigh impossible. 



LAND LAWS APPLYING TO ALASKA. 



The following report regarding the methods by which title may be 

 secured to agricultural laiids in Alaska was prepared in the office 

 of the Commissioner of the General Land Office, through the cour- 

 tesy of the Secretary of the Interior. It refers solely to acquiring 

 title to agricultural lands and not to the town-site or mineral laws, or 

 to mission claims under section 27 of the act of June 6, 1900 (31 Stat. 

 L., 330) : 



Section 1 of the act of Congress approved May 14, 1S98 (30 Stat. L., 409), 

 extending the homestead laws to Alaska, may be summarized as follows : 



F'irst. Extending the homestead laws and the rights incident thereto to the 

 district of Alaska. 



Second. Extending to such district the right to enter surveyed lands under 

 provisions of law relating to the acquisition of title through soldiers' addi- 

 tional homestead rights. 



Third. Granting the right to enter unsurveyed lands in said district under 

 provisions of law relating to the acquisition of title through soldiers' additional 

 homestead rights. 



Fourtli. Prohibiting the location in said district of any indemnity, deficiency, 

 or lieu lands pertaining to any land grant whatsoever orginating outside of said 

 district. 



Fifth. Limiting each entry under this section to SO rods along the shore of 

 any navigable water, and reserving along such shore a space at least 80 rods- 

 between all such claims, and prohibiting the entry or disposal of the shore 

 (meaning land lying between high and low water mark) of any navigable waters 

 within said district. 



Hixth. Limiting each homestead in said district, whether soldiers' additional 

 or otherwise, to 80 acres in extent. 



This section was amended by the act of March 3, 1903 (32 Stat. L., 1028), the 

 provisions of which may be stated as follows : 



The amendatory act does not specifically reenact that portion of the act of 

 1898 which granted the right to enter imsurvcyed lands in the district of Alaska 

 under the jirovisions of law relating to the acquisition of title through soldiei's' 

 additional riglits. but it is provided thereby "that no more than- one hundred 

 and sixty acres shall be entered in any single body by such scrip, lieu selection, 

 (v soldiers' additional homestead right," which seems to negative any intention 

 to modify or ri'i)eal the existing law with regard to the exercise of such rights 

 in the district of Alaska further than to limit the amount which may be entered 

 in a single body to KJO acres. Further, that portion of the amendatory act 

 which provides that " no indemnity, deficiency, or lien-land selections pertaining 

 to any land grant outside of the district of Alaf;l<a shall be made, and no land 

 scrip or land wai'rant of any kind whatsoever shall be located within or exer- 

 cised upon any lands in said district, except as now provided by law," seems to 



