Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 68 Part 1.djvu/391

 68 S T A T. ]

PUBLIC LAW 4 6 2 - J U N E 30, 1954

in the said reservation, the oil or gas in the land in such lieu allotment or such exchange assignment is hereby granted to the holder of the lieu allotment or the exchange assignment, as the case may be, unless the allottee or his heirs or devisees reserved the oil and gas in the lands transferred or relinquished. SEC. 3. Title to the oil and gas granted by this Act shall be held in trust by the United States for the Indian owners, except where the entire interest in the oil and gas is granted to Indians to whom a fee patent for any land within the Fort Peck Indian Reservation has heretofore been issued, in which event the unrestricted fee simple title is hereby granted to the Indian owner, and except where the entire interest in the oil and gas is hereafter held for Indians to whom a fee patent for any land within said reservation has heretofore or hereafter been issued or who are determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be competent to manage their own affairs, in which event the unrestricted fee simple title shall be transferred to the Indian owner by the Secretary. SEC. 4. If the Secretary of the Interior determines that the entire interest in land, including land held under an exchange assignment, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation is owned by Indians who are the grantees of oil and gas under this Act and who are competent to manage their own affairs, he is authorized and directed to issue fee patents to them for such interest. SEC. 5. No oil and gas lease which was entered into pursuant to the first section of the Act of March 3, 1927, which covers in whole or in part the lands referred to in sections 1 and 2 of this Act, and which is in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, shall be affected by reason of the enactment of this Act, except that any royalties ancl other moneys payable under such lease after such date of enactment, which are attributable to the oil and gas granted to an Indian by sections 1 or 2 of this Act shall be payable to such Indian, or if such Indian is deceased, to his heirs or devisees. SEC. 6. This Act shall not apply to oil and gas in tribal land which, on the date of the enactment of this Act, is otherwise undisposed of. SEC. 7. Any and all moneys collected by the tribes as advance rentals, bonus, and royalties of oil and gas leases after March 3, 1927, and prior to the transfer of said oil and gas rights pursuant to this Act to said individual Indians may also be paid by authority of said executive board to the individual Indians to whom said oil and gas rights are transferred pursuant to this Act. SEC. 8. The provisions of this Act shall not be effective unless approved in a referendum by a majority of the members of the Fort Peck Tribe actually voting therein: Provided, That the total vote cast shall not be less than 30 per centum of those entitled to vote. This referendum shall be conducted on not less than sixty days' notice under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior or his duly authorized representative. Approved June 30, 1954. Public Law 462

Titles and fee patents.

Oil and leases.

gas

Nonappli c ability*

Advance rentals, etc.

Effectivity.

CHAPTER 436 AN ACT

T-O approve the repayment contract negotiated with the Roza Irrigation District, Yakima project, Washington, and to authorize its execution, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the repayment

June 30, 1954 [H. R. 6487]

R o z a Irrigation District. Repayment contract.

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