Show PITMAN EXPLAINS LEASING BILL senator key pitman of nevada is sending the following to the press of that state explaining the proposed leasing bill now pending in congress gentlemen I 1 am receiving so many inquiries relative to the general leasing bill particularly with regard to oil lands that I 1 think a little information on this subject will be of interest to some of your react readers ers on august 15 1919 the committee on public lands of the senate unanimously approved senate bill 2775 entitled A bill to promote the mining of coal phosphate oil gas and sodium on the public domain this bill has been placed on the senate calendar and made the unfinished business all other bills on this subject have been laid aside the purpose of this bill is to open up all withdrawn oil coal phosphate and sodium lands for acquisition under the terms of the bill there are two phases of the bill one provides for a lease not to exceed acres on known oil lands the other phase is to grant to a prospector a prospecting permit for two years on 2560 acres on land not proven to be oil land if the prospector discovers oil within two years ears he is given a lease on one fourth of the land upon a 5 per cent royalty and a preference right to lease the remaining three fourths upon a royalty to be fixed by the secretary of the interior at not less than one eighth nor more than one quarter of the oil produced at the present time and until a general leasing bill has passed oil claims are taken up under the general placer mining law they are located in exactly the same manner that a placer gold claim would be located if however when the act goes into effect which I 1 think will be the case in about two or three weeks a discovery has not been made upon the oil claim then the locator simply has a preference right to a prospecting permit under the bill if discovery has been made before the passage ageos of the leasing bill then the locator can go to patent under the present existing mining laws very truly yours |