LAXDS. 33 



6. A protest may be initiated against any claim, mineral or non- 

 mineral, embracing lands within National Forests at airy time prior 

 to patent, by the Solicitor, or the district assistant to the Solicitor, of 

 the Department of Agriculture, filing in the local land office, in tripli- 

 cate, a complaint signed by the Forester or the district forester, not 

 under oath or corroborated, setting forth clearly and briefly the 

 grounds of the protest. Upon receipt of such complaint, the register 

 and receiver shall forward a copy thereof to the Commissioner of 

 the General Land Office, issue the notice required by rule 5 of the 

 Rules of Practice, accompanied by a copy of the complaint, and ar- 

 range for a hearing, if applied for, as provided in paragraph 4 hereof. 



7. In all hearings affecting lands or claims within a National 

 Forest the district assistant to the Solicitor will be entered of record 

 as appearing on behalf of the Government, and will conduct the Gov- 

 ernment's side of the case. 



8. Forest lieu and school selection cases will be handled by the 

 chiefs of field division of the General Land Office in like manner as 

 heretofore. The forest officers will, upon request of the chiefs of field 

 division, render any assistance possible in the making of investiga- 

 tions, and the district assistants to the Solicitor of the Department of 

 Agriculture will cooperate with the chiefs of field division in the con- 

 duct of hearings in such cases, and thereafter will take action in like 

 manner as heretofore, including the taking of appeals to the Secre- 

 tary of the Interior. 



9. In all Government cases before registers and receivers involving 

 lands or claims within a National Forest, the district assistant to the 

 Solicitor shall be served with copies of all answers, appeals, motions, 

 orders, and decisions required to be noted under the rules in cases of 

 private contests. The proper law officers of the Department of Agri- 

 culture shall also have a right of appeal from any decision by the 

 Commissioner of the General Land Office, and to file motion for 

 rehearing in the Department of the Interior, or take other like action 

 in the same manner as a private contestant and shall receive like 

 notices of proceedings and decisions: Provided, however, That the 

 Department of Agriculture shall not be required to take formal ap- 

 peals from decisions of registers and receivers. 



10. Chiefs of field division and special agents will not hereafter 

 take action in regard to any claims within a National Forest, except 

 as provided in paragraph 8 hereof, unless specifically directed by the 

 Commissioner of the General Land Office or the Secretary of the In- 

 terior : Provided, That chiefs of field division may, on request of a 

 district forester, assign mineral examiners to assist in the investiga- 

 tion of cases involving mining claims. 



11. Costs of hearings will be paid from the appropriation for ex- 

 penses of hearings in land entries as now provided for other Govern- 

 ment contests. Prior to June 1 of each year the district assistant to 

 the Solicitor will mail to the chief of field division in whose division 

 the lands involved lie, an estimate of the funds necessary to cover 

 the hearings during the first quarter of the ensuing fiscal year. Like 

 action will be taken on the first day of each month which immediately 

 precedes the other quarters of the fiscal year. Such estimates should 

 be accompanied by a list of the cases to be heard, which should in- 



10283°— 16 3 



