Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN HonorableEiascom Olles Comnlnnloner, QeneralLend Office Austin, Texas Dear Slrr oplnlonHo. O-672 ur opieionrequest 18, 1945, usd the addltlanalSaat d in your letter of July 26, 194 Hr. oerald u. naenna, en, Texam, filed im the 8 applioatlonto pzwmpect ty, in aaaordanaeulth the "$IIEI~"~~ tL~ba.~Eatlon I lfmukl Protpw3t’Perrit H-+28867 on July 11, 1.945 for a pe~lcdnot to exceedbne y6ar be@nning on July 3, 1944. 'On Harea 27, 1945. Mr. Ed L. Love of SierraBlmca, Texea, filed ln tBa GeneralLend Ofl'ice his affidavitof ovnerahip requeetfor retnetatement 63 , Publto WI Section2, Block "d SshoolLend, EudrpethCounty. Aacampanying the Aifldavit of Omecahlp and Requestfor Relnrtate- meritwau a ralttance to covw paymentof all Hon. EaecomClllee- Pegs 2 principal,interest,end penalties. Hr. Love alao requestedthat a patont be issued him on Section2. "The male of eald Bsotlon2 wne forfeited for non-paymentof tnteroeton April 25, 1941, and nov standsiorfefted on the recordsof thle offlae. "At eight (8100)o'clockA.M., Julo 3, 1945, Itr.wollm filed ia the OeneralLaud Offioti the applieatlonof Southvest Mlnwele, Ino., P.O. aox 865, Barllngen,Texas, to proe*ct for wt*llla mlneralean4 pneloue rtcnm8 on the north helf OT said Sectlutt 2. You vl1.lnote the caafl.ictLag rlghte of SouthvestNlaerale,Ina. utd I&. Love," Your letter of July 26, 1945, reads lttpart: * ?oo your further %tt~mtlen, the l&taduttde;~u&el4eratlen Lo thle oplttlun mqueet v&e noldwith a meervatlon of all telnerale to the 8tatq.i " Your qtw8tion181 "I reepeotiull~requestthat you give m your op~lonae to whetherI ehoul4iemo l Prempeot Pomlt to Southmet Wetie, Iam., or minetat& the male of the land in favor of I&. BedL. Love.* We itret aoneld6rvhotheryou ehouldreinrhto the male of this land in IWOF ot NV. Love. Art. 5326, R. C. S., nov made, Ln M, em followet 'Ii any portionof the %lmweSC on euy WI.0 shouldnot be pIi4 when &@a, ths land ehrllbe L\lbjeot to forfeltursby ~the Coarlrelonerelttm~rfng on the vrepperoont~lningthe papme 'LendPorfeited',or v~rde of eirileris',rt, with the brte of much action a ndllgn it offlcfarly, em4 therivupett the laad an4 all payaenteshall be forfeitedto the Stat.,end the landseseybe offeredtar male on b eubeequentmale date. In e.nycame where lan4e renyhmrrwfterbe ior?eltedto the Nate for non-paymentOS fntereet,tha pttrahaeere, lion.&scramOilee - Pege 3 bc thelr vendees, heirs, or legal repreeentatlvee, emy have their alaIm relnetrtedon theirvrltten request,by paying Into the Treaeur)r the full uottqtof Intorestdu6 on tich ul@m up to thn date of relnet8temeat, providedthat +rIghte of third vweone ,WJ have lntervono4. Th right to rein- state shall be lImitedto the last pumhaeer from the State or him vendee8or tholr heirs or legcr3 repreeent&ivee. BuchHghtmuetbe excrcieed within five (5) y0~s fxwm th0 date 0f th0 f0mmi~e, ur4 the right to reinstateany alak heretoforefor- feitedby the Caraieeiooermtot be exercisedwithin five (5) years from the effeatlvedate of t&Is Act, but not thereaSter.. . .!' Mr. Love ham epryht to oomplywith thfe artloleby makiag him requestfor md.netataaont vlthln five years from the date of th, forfeiture. PmVlde4 Br. Love is the laet pttrch4teer of the latelfma the Wats, or eueh lret purchaser'svendee,heir or legal mpmeeatatlve, an4 If he ham pal4 into the State Treasury the full amountof latemet due on euoh alair up to .the date of r*lne~atenent, be 18 clearlyuitltlo6 to have hle alaim rolnetated, ‘providedthat no~rlghte of thlr4 pereonsma have iakrve~d.* Art053268 9ex.m Jur~rprudence, Vol. 38, Pubfic Lands, page 190. It*s w rlghta of third parties intemmie4 *lnae much forfeiture?Your letteraentlonenone that light poe8lblp be so ometme4, exceptthe prorpeating per&t leeuulto l&r. end the appll6ationof Bouthreet J4Inenlr.IBC. for a IlaXe2nna met~lia mInera proepeatlngpemlt tbrt was filed In the OgneralLand OffIaeon July 3, 1945. Hr. WoKenna~eproepectl3tgW-It end the lpp2icatfon of SoutWeet Winerale,Inc. Were ma4e utt4.r urthorltyof House Bill 489, Ch. 301, Acts 40th Leglelatulre,Re beeeion,1*3, 5t210, Sec. 12, R. C, S. . ‘phi8eeotlonreadist “Any parson or corpontlon deeirlng to prospecta treet of land beloagw to t&w 8trto Sor gold, eilveP,pl@Anum, cionrbrr,and other metal110 ore8 and prccioue~etonee m8x file an appltcation rlth the ComleeSon4w of the OeneralLan4 OSfIce 4eelgnatingthe area to be vroepeGto4,whioh aget be crcoompenie4br a rentalpaymentof Ten (10) Cente per aore, an4 much appltoeatshall love a periodof one year fFoa 4&o of filingeuah avpll- oationwithinvhIch to prospectthe area 4WQpxated. BOB. BaeooaOllee - Page 4 WithIn the period of ma&d year he nay file an lppllcatlonto lease the area deeIgr;uted Sor the purposeof mlnIng gold, silver,platinm, aInaa- bar end other metalllaores end pmoloue stones au4 remit Vlftg (50) Cents an aow am first annual payaetatof rentalon the lease en4 continueto We euah ymente from year to yur for a period of five (5r years,unleee eoae of the ninerale aemtlonedherein shell be 4lecoveredmoonorin payingquentltlee. On 4lecave~‘of any much altterale,the payaente of euch reutal ehell ceaee. On the @@thday of erahmonth the ownerofthe rine ormlnee shell pny the Wyalt -the Nate vhioh shall be one-eirteenth (l/la!of the value if the ainor8lseold or moved bff tbs pxwe.Saee.&ah peymenteshall be realtte4 to the 3omieeloner of the CieneralLend Office en4 creditedto the aaoount of the Porwnant Bahoollknd. 'Pb~leareellmllbu drwn and the sines operatedln aaaordanoewith reguUtion8 pnecrrlbedby the Qovemor, Attorney Qeneral,and Oamleeloner of the 6eneralLen4 Offlae." Your letter lmllaatre tht the lend h4re involved, inaludingthe mlnerale,heerpen 4edicate4 to the publia fxwe eIshoo]. futd and that the y Me val rold wLth r mii,ne~&L me* vatleq. Therefore, at allmeter1e.l tlaee to your inquiry, mettilio mhenle aud p r ea io ue lto no eb thxe lend belongedto the 8tete. The owner rraqulred ma Interestthere- under the Relinqule&uentAd (Bee A&lale 5368)which pertaina only to 011 a?&4gae. We find no statutegiving the eurfaaeovnep any Intorestin metalllumlne-8 end pxwalouestonesthew%n. It rollowethat the btate, its agents,grenW8, or llcexuwee,is owner of euehmetelliaminerale rrrdpxwhue *tone*, ut4 ham atalltime8 ha4 thelO&l rlghtte enteron th elux+facefor the pwpoae of Cupr~rlngand developIn$the maid metalllamIner?rle an4 piealoueetonee. covan, etal v. Harcleaut,ot al, 26 Tex. 2171 Esept~e Qae & Fuel Co., et al v. state, 121 Tax. 138, 150, 47 8. w. (2) 2658 bW8~, et 81 V. prgeril:;l Tax. 502, 511; Cox v. Robleon, 105 Tex. 426, 150 . . . Consequently,Love an4 hle pm4eoseeoce owned much land from the beglnnlng,eubjoctto the right of the f&ate or its agents,grmteee OP llaeneeee,to 40 the things~thmee mineral prospectingpermitsrutboMee. Us see no 0onflloQ'Wmt- eoeverbetweenthe rightsof Love QP hle pxw4eoeeeore to surface of this land, p~lor to the folrldture, en4 thau 0T reolplenteof Wneral proepeotlngpeFmiteunder Seatlat 12 of Article5k21a. Hon. B8ecoet Ollee - Pegs 5 ftwIe our opinionthat no right of e third pnrty Coneequentlywe believeyou shouldre- &&%?%kie alai& provlied,of course,he 18 ot~rvlee ellg~bletherefor. We mm aoneldervhetherthe ewtollioalnerdl end preciousstone pzwepeatlngpemltehouldbegrentedto SouthwestNlnerale,Inc. In Texas, mIneralein place ere "land". State v. Hatcher,281 9. W. 115 Tex. 3321 Lone Acre 011 Co. v. Bvapte,78 8. W. EollovayelUnknownRelre 0. Wmtle~, 104 S. W. (2) 131 8. W. (2) 89, 133 Tax. 608, 123 A. L. R. 843. These metalllomlnerde and pFealou8 stonesem %nd" and, am ham been sham before,the lend involve4bme has been dedlcrtedto the Pub110Rse School Fund. It followstht euah aetalllcmIneral end pre- ciooe stonesan "lend" eubjeatto the provleIoneof Apt. 54210, 860. 12. Therefore,lf SouthwestMInerelm,Ina. bee made its eppllaatlonfor pzwspectlngperaitthereonInproper Tom end In uhordenae vith the plain provisionsof the statutesan4 ham fll.ed the neoeeea~ fees, etc., it is our opinionthat the perm%tehouldbe granted. Yours v4ry truly ATSORNBYQERXRAL OFT'EXAS