Perfection valid claims lowed. Wyoming," approved August 1, 1912 (Thirty-seventh Statutes at Large, page 1346), shall be subject to disposition only in the form and manner provided in this of Act, except as to valid claims existent at date of the passage of this Act and thereafter maintained in compliance with the laws under which initiated, which claims may be perfected under such laws, including discovery. al Land office fees to be prescribed. Oil and gas ed additional time SEC. 38. That, until otherwise provided, the Secretary of the Interior shall be authorized to prescribe fees and commissions to be paid registers and receivers of United States land offices on account of business transacted under the provisions of this Act. Approved, February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 437). An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to grant extensions of time under oil and gas permits, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress asPublic lands. sembled, That the Secretary of the Interior may, if he permittees grant shall find that any oil or gas permittee has been unable, for drilling, etc. with the exercise of diligence, to begin drilling operations or to drill wells of the depth and within the time Vol. 41, p. 437. prescribed by section 13 of the Act of Congress approved February 25, 1920 (Forty-first Statutes, page 437), extend the time for beginning such drilling or completing it, to the amount specified in the Act for such time, not exceeding three years, and upon such conditions as he shall prescribe. fields. Approved. January 11, 1922 (42 Stat. 356). An Act To extend the provisions of section 18a of an Act approved February 25, 1920 (Forty-first Statutes, page 437), to certain lands in Utah. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa tires of the United States of America in Congress asOil and gas sembled, That for the period of twelve months from and Time extended after the approval of this Act the provisions of section. for compromising 18a of an Act entitled "An Act to promote the mining Utah withdrawn of coal, phosphate, oil, oil shale. gas, and sodium on the Vol. 41, p. 444. public domain," approved February 25, 1920 (Forty-first placer claims on lands. Proviso. Statutes, page 437), be, and the same are hereby, extended to land in Utah embraced in the Executive order of withdrawal issued October 4, 1909: Provided, That nothing herein shall be construed as otherwise enlarging, continuing, or extending the provisions of the aforesaid section 18a of the Act approved February 25, 1920 (Forty-first Statutes, page 437). Approved, September 15, 1922 (42 Stat. 844). An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue to certain persons and certain corporations permits to explore, or leases of, certain lands that lie south of the medial line of the main channel of Red River, in Oklahoma, and for other purposes. Red River lands, Oklahoma. of the Interior to equi grant leases. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to adjust and determine the equitable claims of citi- Secretary zens of the United States, and domestic corporations to determine lands and oil and gas deposits belonging to the United table claims and States and situated south of the medial line of the main channel of Red River, Oklahoma, which lands were claimed and possessed in good faith by such citizens or corporations, or their predecessors in interest, prior to February 25, 1920, and upon which lands expenditures were made in good faith and with reasonable diligence in an effort to discover or develop oil or gas, by issuance of permits or leases to those found equitably entitled thereto. SEC. 2. That applications for permits and leases under Applications for this Act shall be made to the Secretary of the Interior, and shall be made within and not after sixty days from and after the date that this Act becomes a law. Leases and permits under this Act may be granted to the as- Assignees. signees or successors in interest of the original locators or the original claimants in all cases where the original locators or original claimants have assigned or transferred their rights, but when leases or permits are granted to the assignees or successors in interest of the original locators or original claimants the said leases and permits shall be subject to all contracts, not contrary to law or public policy, between the original locators or original claimants and their successors in interest. claims. In case of conflicting claimants for permits or leases Conflicting under this Act, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to grant permits or leases to one or more of them as shall be deemed just. SEC. 3. That not more than one hundred and sixty acres shall be granted by leases or permits to any one person or corporation, except in those cases where two or more locations or claims have been assigned to one person or corporation, and in such cases not more than six hundred and forty acres shall be granted by leases or permits to any one person or corporation. Limitation of area. SEC. 4. That each lessee shall be required to pay as Royalties. royalty to the United States an amount equal to the value at the time of production of 12 per centum of all oil and gas produced by him prior to the issuance of the lease, except oil or gas used on the property for production purposes or unavoidably lost; and shall be required. to pay to the United States a royalty of not less than 121 per centum of all oil and gas produced by him after the issuance of the lease, except oil and gas used on the prop erty for production purposes or unavoidably lost. Of the proceeds of the oil and gas that have been produced or that may hereafter be produced by the receiver of said property, appointed by the Supreme Court of the United States, 12 per centum as royalty shall be paid to the United States, and the residue after deducting and paying the expenses of the litigation incurred by the United States and the expenses of the receivership shall be paid to the person or corporation to whom may be granted a lease of the land on which said oil and gas were proPayment for duced: Provided, That the Secretary of the Interior is oil heretofore produced. authorized and directed to take such legal steps as may be necessary and proper to collect from any person or persons who shall not be awarded a permit or lease under this Act an amount equal to the value of all oil and gas produced by him or them from any of said lands prior to the inclusion of said property in the receivership, except oil or gas used on the property for production purposes or unavoidably lost and except other reasonable and proper allowances for the expenses of production: Provided further, That of the amount so collected, 12 per centuni shall be reserved to the United States as royalty and the balance after deducting the expense of collection shall be paid over to the person or persons awarded permits or leases under this Act, as their interests may appear. applicable. lands subject to 1920. SEC. 5. That except as otherwise provided herein the Act of Feb. applicable provisions of the Act of Congress approved 25, 1920, made February 25, 1920, entitled "An Act to permit the mining of coal, phosphate, oil, oil shale, gas, and sodium on the public domain," shall apply to the leases and permits granted hereunder, including the provisions of sections 35 and 36 of said Act relating to the disposition of royalties: Provided. That after the adjudication and disposiUndisposed of tion of all applications under this Act any lands and deAct of Feb. 25, posits remaining unappropriated and undisposed of shall, after date fixed by order of the Secretary of the Interior, be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of said Act of February 25, 1920: Provided further. That upon the approval of this Act the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to take over and operate existing wells on any of such lands pending the final disposition of applications for leases and permits, and to utilize and expend in connection with such administration and operahere- tion so much as may be necessary of moneys heretofore impounded from past production or hereafter produced, and upon final disposition of applications for and the is suance of leases and permits, after deducting the expenses of administration and operation and payment to the United States of the royalty herein provided, to pay the balance remaining to the person or company entitled Expenses of thereto: And provided further, That out of the 10 per centum of money hereafter received from royalties and Moneys tofore pounded. im administration. rentals under the provisions of this Act and paid into the Treasury of the United States and credited to miscellaneous receipts, as provided by section 35 of the said Act of February 25, 1920, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to use and expend such portion as may be required to pay the expense of administration and supervision over leases and permits and the products thereof. SEC. 6. That nothing in this Act shall be construed to Pending liti interfere with the possession by the Supreme Court of gation. the United States, through its receiver or receivers, of any part of the lands described in section 1 of this Act, nor to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to dispose of any of said lands or oil or gas deposits involved in litigation now pending in the Supreme Court of the United States, until the final disposition of said proceeding. The authority herein granted to the Secretary of the Interior, to take over and operate oil wells on said lands, shall not become effective until the said lands shall be, by the Supreme Court of the United States, discharged from its possession. And nothing in this Act shall be construed to interfere with the jurisdiction, power, and authority of the Supreme Court of the United States to adjudicate claims against its said receiver, to direct the payment of such claims against the said receiver as may be allowed by the said court, to settle the said receiver's accounts, and to continue the receivership until, in due and orderly course, the same may be brought to an end. The Supreme Court of the United States is hereby authorized, upon the termination of the said receivership, which the Attorney General is hereby directed to apply for and secure at the earliest practicable date, to direct its receiver to pay to the Secretary of the Interior all funds derived from oil and gas produced from lands of the United States that may at that time remain in the hands of the said receiver; and when said funds shall be paid to the Secretary of the Interior the same shall be administered as in this Act provided. ulations. SEC. 7. That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized Rules and regto prescribe the necessary and proper rules and regulations and to do any and all things necessary to carry out and accomplish the purposes of this Act. Approved, March 4, 1923 (42 Stat. —). NATIONAL PARKS. Act of August 25, 1916-National Park Service established_ Service estab lished. to be appointed. Page. 316 317 318 An Act To establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assemNational Park bled, That there is hereby created in the Department of the Interior a service to be called the National Park Director, etc.. Service, which shall be under the charge of a director, who shall be appointed by the Secretary and who shall receive a salary of $4,500 per annum. There shall also be appointed by the Secretary the following assistants and other employees at the salaries designated: One assistant director, at $2,500 per annum; one chief clerk, at $2,000 per annum; one draftsman, at $1,800 per annum; one messenger, at $600 per annum; and, in addition thereto, such other employees as the Secretary of the Interior shall deem necessary: Provided, That not ex more than $8,100 annually shall be expended for salaries of experts, assistants, and employees within the district of Columbia not herein specifically enumerated unless previously authorized by law. The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations hereinafter specified by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of the said parks, monuments, and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. perts, etc. Purpose de fined. Director. Control of na SEC. 2. That the director shall, under the direction of tional parks, the Secretary of the Interior, have the supervision, manmonuments, etc. agement, and control of the several national parks and national monuments which are now under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, and of the Hot Springs Reservation in the State of Arkansas, and of such other national parks and reservations of like character as may be hereafter created by Congress: Provided, That in the supervision, management, and control of National mon national monuments contiguous to national forests the ous to national Secretary of Agriculture may cooperate with said National Park Service to such extent as may be requested by the Secretary of the Interior. uments forests. contigu |