Show NEWS FOR homesteaders washington may 24 the senate and house conferees on the three year homestead bill reached a final agreement today upon tile the conflicting house and senate provisions contained in the bill five of the six conferees were present senator newlands of the committee being the only absentee the essential features of the bill as agreed upon are reduction of the time required to live on a boul homestead estead in order to obtain patent from five to three years granting tile the contin 11 ous leave of absence of ive five months in each year after establishing residence the being required to notify the local land office as to the beginning and end of such absence providing for cultivation of not less than one sixteenth of the entry beginning with the second year of residence and not less than one eighth beginning with the third bear ear As this provision applies to enlarged homestead entries it has the effect of reducing the area required for cultivation ti on these homesteads by one halt half of the amount required under the present law the agreement of the conferees provided that the new law shall shah apply to all homestead entries including those under the enlarged homestead act and gives the on OIL any entry made prior to the passage of the act an election to make proof under the law under which this entry was made or under the new law |