Show changing the mining laws location of mining claims is the subject of a bill introduced by senator smoot whereby locators are given the exclusive right of possession and and enjoyment of all the surface in eluded within the lines of their lo 10 and of such veins lod s led and deposits of mineral or miner als in place as lie within the block of ground bounded by vertical lines pass ing through such surface plan a and no such locator his heirs or assigns shall have th right under such lo 10 cation to folio follo v any vein lode ledge edge or other deposit outside of the limits of such claim this bill 8 has been read twice in the senate and referred to the committee on public lands if passed of course it withdraws the extra lateral right from all bucure lo 10 but it looks like a hasty bit of legislation for it leaves the size and shape of locations the same as before namely by 1500 feet this is putting new wine into old bottles obviously if vertical bound anes artes ar to be the rule the locator should be able to take as much or as little of his area on the dip as geo logic conditions re bince since the present claim represents square feet why should not the ne new claim be 1000 square feet that is 1000 feet square whether the locator should be able to vary th the proportion while hile not exceeding the superficies is another interesting po nt this bill of the senator from utah i warrants arrants the apprehends on of the e min mining ng pu public ic it seems to 0 an antici let pate and prejudice the work of the commission that congress has been asked to appoint with a view to a systematic reV revision ISLon of them ning law the bill creating the com commiss misson on has passed the senate but we understand that it is likely to meet unfriendly treatment in the house of represents presenta re tives althou Al thought ht it is an tra tion measure and much desired by the department of the interior it is by no means certain to pass it if it does not and th s bill of senator smoot should survive the mining lav law will remain an excavated anar chron ism if vertical sidel nes are to su perseda the extra lateral r then the pre site of discovery should be abolished that has not met with as much condemnation as th apex idea but it is equally unscientific if discovery must continue to be made from the preface ur eface the practical result might be to withdraw Aith draw from mining that part of the vein in depth which is beyond the vertical planes of the man who has the top of it thus con fusion would be worse confounded the subject is much too complex tor for piecemeal legislation and we hope therefore that senator smoot a aktiv ity will be restrained pending the passage of the bill creating the corn com mission the members of which will be fitted to attack the whole subject in a scientific manlier and with a sin centy of purpose likely to command the confidence of the mining public ban francisco mining and scientific press |