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Show FERRIS BILL PASSES THE LOWER HOUSE Washington, Jan. 18. he Ferris bill to create a system of 640-acro stock-raising homesteads on arid, semi-arid and mountainous lands In seventeen states, was passed late today to-day by the house. All three of the administration conservation measures providing for water power development, develop-ment, mineral leasing and larger stock-raising homesteads now await tho action of the senate. The senate public lands committee already has reported an Identical homestead bill, and Ib expected to bring out soon a bill identical with the house measure for water power development. So far the bill for leasing leas-ing mineral lands has not mado any progress in the senate. The new homestead bill provides that the lands affected cannot be entered en-tered until they are designated as subject to entry by the secretary of the interior, but applicants for home-Bteads home-Bteads are given preferential rights until the lands are so designated. Tho government reserves all mineral rights on the homesteads. An amendment adopted today, proposed pro-posed by Representative Gandy of South Dakota, would permit entrymen to make a second entry within twenty miles of his claim. |