However, the department is aware that under many of the permits issued the principal part or all of the six months' period within which to begin drilling will fall in the winter season, when drilling may be impracticable in many sections of the country. There may be other cases where, for good and sufficient reasons, permittees are unable to begin drilling within the six months' period. Therefore no action will be taken looking to the cancellation of a permit issued under section 13 of the oil and gas leasing act for failure to begin drilling operations within six months from date of the permit if the permittee or his assignee exercises due diligence, and because of climatic conditions or other reasons beyond his control has been unable to begin actual drilling within six months.

Every permittee or his assignee claiming under a permit issued under section 13 of the oil and gas leasing act shall, within 12 months and 10 days from the date of his permit, file in the local land office of the district in which the land is situated a corroborated affidavit specifically describing the work done upon the land embraced therein, together with such other information as may be pertinent as to his operations thereon.

Very truly, yours,

JOHN BARTON PAYNE, Secretary.

Mr. SMOOT, from the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany S. 2471.]

The Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, to whom was referred the bill (S. 2471) to amend the act entitled "An act authorizing the survey and sale of certain lands in Coconino County, Ariz., to the occupants thereof," approved July 28, 1914 (38 Stat., 558), having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass without amendment.

The bill was referred to the Department of the Interior, and the Acting Secretary of that department furnished the committee with the following report:

Hon. REED SMOOT,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, October 24, 1921.

Chairman Committee on Public Lands and Surveys,

United States Senate.

MY DEAR SENATOR: I am in receipt by your reference of S. 2471, entitled "A bill to amend the act entitled 'An act authorizing the survey and sale of certain lands in Coconino County, Ariz., to the occupants thereof,' approved July 28, 1914 (38 Stat., 558)."

The act of July 28, 1914, authorized the survey of certain occupied and improved legal subdivisions in T. 41 N., R. 2 W., G. and Š. R. M., Arizona. Said lands were then to be platted into town lots and also into agricultural tracts of not exceeding 20

acres.

Section 3 of said act provided that any persons who prior to January 1, 1914, were in the actual occupancy of and improving one or more of said tracts, not exceeding in all 20 acres, and had maintained the same in good faith, could apply to enter same within six months from the filing of the plat of said survey in the local land office, and after paying for such tract or tracts at the rate of $1.25 per acre should be entitled to a patent therefor.

The town site of Fredonia, Ariz., and the agricultural lands in the vicinity thereof covered by the said act have not yet been thrown open to settlement and entry.

The only change made by said proposed amendment to section 3 of the act of July 28, 1914, is in respect to the acreage allowed to those persons entitled to enter lands thereunder, increasing the area of said tracts from 20 acres, as provided in the original bill, to 80 acres in the proposed amendment thereto.

This department will interpose no objection to the proposed amendment.

Respectfully,

E. C. FINNEY, Acting Secretary.

O

SENATE.

67TH CONGRESS,

2d Session.

{

REPORT No. 382.

ADJUSTMENT OF BOUNDARIES OF DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST, OREG.

JANUARY 5, 1922.-Ordered to be printed.

Mr. SMOOт, from the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 7600.]

The Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7600) authorizing the adjustment of the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest, in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass without amendment.

The purpose of this legislation is fully set forth in House Report No. 308, which reads as follows:

The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7600) authorizing the adjustment of the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest, in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report it to the House with the recommendation that it do pass with the following amendments: (1) Page 1, lines 3 and 4, after the word "authorized" insert the words "in his discretion."

(2) Page 1, line 10, after the word "land" insert the words "in the State of Oregon." (3) Page 1, line 14, change the comma after the word "compensation" to a period, and strike out the following words on page 1, line 14, and page 2, lines 1 and 2: considering any reservations of timber or mineral rights or easements made by either party to the exchange.'

The purpose of this bill is to give authority to the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to make such exchanges with the owners of private land within the Deschutes National Forest and within 5 miles of the exterior boundaries of the forest as will consolidate the Government holdings and allow the much-indented boundary of this forest to be straightened out. As pointed out by the Secretary of Agriculture in his report to the chairman of this committee, the indentations and projections of this forest multiplies the problems and cost of the forest and increases the difficulties of fire protection and consistent forest and range management.

The bill was submitted by the chairman of this committee to the Secretary of Agriculture and to the Secretary of the Interior for a report. Both departments reported favorably thereon. The slight amendments suggested by the Secretary of the Interior

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