43 U.S.C. §§ 908–911

To enable the Secretary of the Interior to complete the adjustment of land grants made by Congress to aid in the construction of railroads, and to subject the lands granted to taxation by States, Territories, and municipal authorities, any railroad corporation required by law to pay the costs of surveying, selecting, or conveying any lands granted to such company or corporation, or for its use and benefit, by any Act of Congress, is required, within ninety days from demand by the Secretary of the Interior, to deposit in a proper United States depository to the credit of the United States a sum sufficient to pay the cost of surveying, selecting, and conveying any of the unsurveyed lands granted to such company, or for its use and benefit, under any Act of Congress: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior shall determine and specify in the notice or demand to such company the amount of the required deposit, and may, in his discretion, demand a sum sufficient to cover the cost of the survey, selection, and conveyance of the entire area granted to any company, or for its use and benefit, then unsurveyed, or for such townships or fractional townships as he may prescribe and designate in the notice or demand to such company, as aforesaid: And provided further, That the amount deposited shall, subject to the rules and regulations of the Department of the Interior, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate, be disbursed for the surveying, including office and field work, selection, and conveyance of the lands granted and designated in the notice of the Secretary of the Interior, as aforesaid: And provided further, That in the event the money deposited by any railroad corporation under the provisions of sections 908 to 911 of this title shall exceed the cost of said surveys, the said excess thereof shall be repaid to the corporation so depositing the same, or to its assigns.

If any railroad corporation required by law to pay the costs of surveying, selecting, or conveying any lands granted to such corporation, or for its use and benefit, by any Act of Congress, shall, for ninety days from notice or demand by the Secretary of the Interior, as provided by section 908 of this title, neglect or refuse to deposit an amount sufficient to meet the expense of surveying, selecting, and conveying the unsurveyed lands granted to such company, or for its use and benefit, by any Act of Congress, and designated in the notice or demand by the Secretary of the Interior, as aforesaid, the rights, title, and interests of such company, and all those claiming by, through, or under it, in and to the unsurveyed lands designated in the notice of the Secretary, as aforesaid, shall cease and forfeit to the United States; and the Secretary of the Interior shall notify the Attorney General, who shall at once commence proceedings to declare the forfeiture and to restore the lands forfeited to the public domain.

Sections 908 to 911 of this title shall not affect the right of the Secretary of the Interior to cause the public surveys to be extended over any lands granted to any railroad or corporation by any Act of Congress in the manner on June 25, 1910, otherwise provided by law, nor shall any claim, right, interest, or demand of the Government of the United States be waived or annulled by the provisions thereof: Provided, That all granted lands surveyed under the provisions of said sections shall be subject to taxation by States, Territories, and municipal authorities, and the right of the Government to reimburse itself for the survey, selection, and conveyance of such lands otherwise provided by law shall remain in full force and effect.

The Secretary of the Interior shall prescribe such rules and regulations as will be necessary to the carrying out of the provisions of sections 908 to 910 of this title.