STATE LAND LAWS 139 



AREA USE FORFEITURE. SKCS. 175-177 



accuracy to persons acquainted with the vicinity. (Laws '99, p. 

 274, sec. 5; sec. 6812 Rem.-Bal. ; 373 sec. 87 Pierce.) 



See sec. 171, supra. 



SEC. 175. LIMITATION OF AREA AFFIDAVIT OF INTENT. 



All applications for lease of oyster lands under the provisions 

 of this chapter shall be for an area not to exceed forty acres to 

 any one person, and such application shall be accompanied by 

 an affidavit under oath, that the party making such application 

 leases said lands for the purpose of oyster culture only. (Laws 

 '99, p. 274, sec. 6; sec. 6813 Rem.-Bal. ; 373 sec. 89 Pierce.) 



SEC. 176. LIMITATION ON USE REVERSION. 



It shall be expressly provided in the lease of any such oyster 

 land that if at any time after the granting of said lease the lands 

 described therein shall cease to be used for the purposes of an 

 artificial oyster bed, it shall thereupon revert to, and become the 

 property of the State of Washington, and that the same is 

 leased to the lessee only for the purposes of cultivating oysters 

 thereon, and the State of Washington hereby reserves the right 

 to enter upon and take possession of said tract or tracts, if at 

 any time the same is used for any other purpose than the cultiva- 

 tion of oysters. (Laws '99, p. 274, sec. 7; sec. 6814 Rem.- 

 Bal.; 373 sec. 91 Pierce.) 



SEC. 177. ABANDONMENT. 



If from any cause any tract or tracts, parcel or parcels of 

 land leased under the provisions of this chapter, shall become 

 unfit and valueless for the purpose of oyster culture, the party 

 having so leased or being in possession of the same, may, upon 

 certifying such fact under oath to the Commissioner of Public 

 Lands and to the auditior of the county wherein such lands are 

 situated, also upon filing under oath a certificate of abandonment 

 of such tract or tracts, parcel or parcels of land, in the office of 

 each of said officials, such party shall then be entitled to lease 

 other lands as hereinbefore provided. (Laws '99, p. 275, sec. 10 ; 

 sec. 6817 Rem.-Bal. ; 373 sec. 97 Pierce.) 



