Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 38 Part 1.djvu/761

 742 SIXTY-THIRD CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 330. 1914. by the a roval of the Department of the Interior may be adopted and usedpfdr the purposes of this Act. _ ¤,I ·°° df ”°°”°d "°‘“ Sec. 2. That the President of the United States shall designate and ` reserve from use, location, sale, lease, or disposition not_ exceeding five thousand one hundred and twenty acres of coa.l-bearruglland in the Bering River field and not exceeding seven thousand six undred and eighty acres of coal—bearing land in the Matanuska Held, and not §",{,'{§§· 0, ,,,,,,,,, to exceed one-half of the other coal lands rn Alaska: Provided, That we the coal d?pbsits in such reserved areas may be mmed_ under the direction o the President when, in his opurion, the mmrng of such coal in such reserved areas, under the direction of the President, becmammr. comes necessary, by reason of an insufficient supply of coal at a reasonable price for the requirements of Government works, construction _ and operation of Government railroads, for the avy, for national protection, or for relief from monoigoly or oppressrve conditions. ,,j’§°$ Sec. 3. That the unreserved co lands and coal deposits shall be i¤z¤1¤¤k¤»¤¤=- divided by the Secretary of the Interior into leasing b ocks or tracts of forty acres each, or multi les thereof, and rn such form as in the o inion of the Secretary wilfipermit the most econormcal mining of tile coal in such blocks, but in no case exceeding two thousand five I··¤•·¤·¤¤·¤¤·•¤· hundred and sixty acres in any one leasing block or tract; and thereafter, the Secretary shall offer such blocks or tracts and the coal, lignite, and associated minerals therein for leasing, and may award leases thereof through advertisement, competitive bidding, or such other methods as he may by general regulations adopt, to any rson above the age of twenty-one years w o is a citizen of the Uiiited States, or to any association of such persons, or to any corporation or municipality organized under the laws of the United States or of an §'§’,,,”‘u;',_,p mu,n_ State or Territory thereof: Provided, '1‘hat a majority of the stool ¤=¤¤¤s· of such corporation shall at all times be owned and held by citizens rwlggldings by mu- of the United States: And promkled further, That no railroad or com- 1-;,,¤,r;$§§K"‘"°" °°”' mon earner shall be permitted to take or acquire through lease or permit under this Act any coal or coal lands in excess of such area or quantity as may be reqbugred and used solely for its own use, and such R lm t { limitation of use shall expressed in all eases or rmits issued to CME.; q§§s§‘§1‘°‘§,,.,‘Q railroads or common earners hereunder: And prwidgd further, That ‘°‘”- any person, association, or corporation qualified to become a lessee under this Act and owning an pending claim under the public-land laws to any coal lands in laslga may, within one year from the {passage of this Act, enter into an arrangement with the Secretary o the Interior by which such claim shall be fully relinquished to the United ,,,*§’§‘g;‘;_,§j *°°“°Y’ States; and if in the judgment of the Secretary of the Interior, the circumstances connected with such claim 'ustify so doing, the moneys paid by the claimant or claimants to the United States on account of such c arm shall, by direction of the Secretary of the Interior, be returned and paid over to such person, association, or corporation as _ a consideration for such relinquishment. ,,,,{,,'°gg';·{”,_,@¤ °‘°" All claims of existing rights to any of such lands in which final proof has been submitted and which are now nding before the Com— mrssrorrer of the General Land Office or the gcretary of the Interior fqrtillecriscop shall be adjudicated within one year from the passage o rs c . ‘*“"“¤¤°‘**dd***°¤¤* Sec. 4. That a person association or co oration holding a lease @t|g¤m¤ _ 7 1 md, of coal lands under this act may, with the siipproval of the Secretary of the Interior and through the same procedure and upon the same terms and conditions as in the case of an original lease under this Act, secure a further or new lege covering additional lands contiguous to those embraced rn the original lease, but in no event shall the total area embraced in such original and new leases exceed in the aggregate two thousand Eve hundred and sixty acres.