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Show I TvK TITLE Humboldt County Siimifion Is H Fraught Willi Many Nico H. Legal Knots. H NO MINERAL LANDS j PASSED TO COMPANY Yet Prospectors Hesitate to De-velope De-velope Fine Resources of That County. There aro additional view points in-k in-k volvcd In tho condition of tlio largo tracts P of mineral land In Humboldt county. Nov., that aro apropos at this time, whon much Is being said about tho attitude of the Southern Pacific Railroad company, fl whloh crosses tho county. It has been said by way of objection to tho refusal B of the railroad company to glvo tltlo to tho mineral lands controlled by It that H' the company Is keeping back tlio dovolop- mcnt of tho enormous mineral resources H; of tho oounty. This may bo truo, yet tho H' railroad company Is up against a row Hr of stumps In tho premises in such a Hp manner as to pluco quite a different light H upon the situation than any hcrotoforo H suggested. t Company Cannot Give Title. In granting lands to the railroad com-pany, com-pany, the Government did not give any H. rights to mineral lands, whatever. When the huge slices of Humboldt county were turned over to the company no one knew for a certainty that the land was In the mineral class; at least, this may bo the 1 caso more frequently than the exception. 1 . The question then naturally arises, If the rullroad company has no legal title to mineral lands, can or should the com- H pany dispose of such lands? Tho com- pany certainly would be Indisposed to place a reasonable valuation upon lands and thon guarantee the tltlo to them un- i der the conditions. fl; Cannot Stand Litig-ation. Hi Prospectors and operators arc unwilling H' to enter tho land and develop property without some positive legal rlgiits. There i is nothing to prevent the railroad com- H.' pany from bringing a lot of ruinous legal T actions to prohibit the extraction and H; shipment of oro from sich grants, and wen wore the proceedings to terminate adversely to the railroad company, the ordinary prospect Is entirely of too young a class to maintain successfully a siege l of expensive litigation. Two Methods Volunteered. , The railroad company Is uncertain as to H, the best mode of procedure In tho Hi premises. The lands that could, and per- 1 hups should be classed as mineral could j again converted Into Government lands J by. perhaps, expensive and tlme-con- 7 sumlng methods. This Is one mode. H: Or tho railroad company could place t ,i reasonable valuation upon such H'i lands, requiring such work or develop- inunt to be dono ns required by both the Natlonnl and State laws before any title H; could pass to the operator. In this way the railroad company could not object to mining operations, nor could It share In ' the results, and the laws covering mining i operations might thereby be ho satisfied i as to create an estoppel on the part of t the Government. H j Quick Remedy Necessary. Tho situation Involves some decidedly tine and pretty legal questions, which H! must be solved sooner or later, tho sooner flr ho better Each month's delay 1b scrv- H) lng to make morn unbearable the dc- ))Iorablc conditions that are keeping tho rich resources of that portion of i Humboldt county locked within the stub- U born earth. Something should be done. H and If the railroad company has Illegally but unintentionally barred those who would develop the lands that should bo ( open to the public, that fact alone, to say nothing of the resulting tremendous benc- lite to the railroad company as a common f carrier, should urge the company to un- i ravel the tanglo at once. |