Placer Claims.
The laws of the United States provide, also, that no location of a placer claim, made after July 9th, 1870, shall exceed 160 acres for any one person or association of persons, which location shall conform to the United States surveys. All placer claims located after May 10th, 1872, shall conform as nearly as practicable with the United States system of public surveys, and no such location shall include more than 20 acres for each individual claimant.
These provisions of the law are construed by the commissioner of the General Land Office, to mean that after the 9th of July, 1870, no location of placer claim can be made to exceed 160 acres, whatever may be the number of locators associated together, or whatever the local regulations of the district may allow; and that from and after May 10th, 1872, no location made by an individual can exceed 20 acres, and no location made by an association of individuals can exceed 160 acres; which location cannot be made by a less number than eight bona fide locators; but whether as much as 20 acres can be located by an individual, or 160 acres by an association, depends entirely upon the mining regulations in force in the respective districts at the date of the location; it being held that such mining regulations are in no way enlarged by the statutes, but remain intact and in full force with regard to the size of locations, in so far as they do not permit locations in excess of the limits fixed by Congress; but that when such regulations permit locations in excess of the maximum fixed by Congress, they are restricted accordingly. A local regulation is valid, therefore, which provides that a placer claim, for instance, shall not exceed 100 feet square. Congress requires no annual expenditures on placer claims, leaving them subject to the local laws, rules, regulations and customs.