PUBLIC LANDS COMMISSION. 13 



framed and applied with special reference to bringing about the 

 largest permanent occupation of the country by actual settlers and 

 home seekers. All land covered by any permit so given should con- 

 tinue to be subject to entry under reasonable regulations notwith- 

 standing such permit. 



MINING LAWS. 



Your Commission has not yet found it possible to take up the ex- 

 tremely important subject of the revision of the mining laws with the 

 thoroughness which it deserves. From the evidence already submit- 

 tedit is obvious that important changes are necessary, both in the 

 United States and in Alaska. The Commission hopes to treat this 

 matter more at length in a subsequent report. 



EIGHTS OF WAY. 



Year after year the question of rights of way across the public 

 lands and reservations has been called to the attention of the Con- 

 gress in the reports of the Secretary of the Interior and the Commis- 

 sioner of the General Land OiEce. The laws on this subject are 

 numerous and apparently often incongruous. Eights of way are 

 granted contingent upon the execution of work within a definite time, 

 but decisions and practices are now in force under which it has be- 

 come almost impossible to divest the public lands of the incubus of 

 these rights, granted conditionally in the first place, but still in ex- 

 istence, although the conditions were not fulfilled. 



Rights such as these are very numerous. They lie dormant until 

 actual development has begun to take place, either under the recla- 

 mation act or otherwise; then they appear in enormous numbers to 

 the very serious hindrance of new enterprises. Your Commission is 

 engaged on a study of this subject and will report hereafter upon it. 



AGEICULTUEAL LANDS IN FOREST RESERVES. 



Attention is called again to the recommendation of your Commis- 

 sion in its previous report (hereto attached) that entry of agricul- 

 tural lands included in forest reserves be permitted under surveys by 

 metes and bounds, and special emphasis is directed to the recommen- 

 dation, which is here renewed, that in such cases actual residence at 

 home on the land be rigidly required and that no commutation be 

 allowed. 



LARGE AND SMALL HOLDINGS. 



Detailed study of the practical operation of the present land laws, 



Earticularly of the desert-land act and the commutation clause of the 

 omestead act, shows that their tendency far too often is to bring 

 about land monopoly rather than to multiply small holdings by actual 

 settlers. The land laws, decisions, and practices have become so com- 

 plicated that the settler is at a marked disadvantage in comparison 

 with the shrewd business man who aims to acquire large properties, 

 is^ot infrequently their effect is to put a premium on perjury and dis- 

 honest methods in the acquisition of land. It is apparent, in conse- 

 quence, that in very many localities, and perhaps in general, a larger 

 proportion of the public land is passing into the hands of speculators 

 and corporations than into those of actual settlers who are making 

 homes. 



This is not due to the character of the land. In all parts of the 



