Kelley v. Kingsbury

[38]

THE COURT.

Alleging that he has fully complied with all the preliminary requirements of the “Mineral Leasing Act” (Stats. 1921, p. 404), petitioner has applied for a writ of mandate to compel the respondent to issue a permit to him to prospect for oil and gas upon certain designated tide lands located within the Elwood oil-field. Upon issuance of the alternative writ the respondent interposed a general demurrer and filed a return to the writ.

In the return the respondent alleges that on September 7, 1928, which was long before petitioner made an application for permission to lease, the respondent, in his official capacity and by virtue of the authority conferred by section 38 of the Mineral Leasing Act,

supra,

defined the boundaries of the Elwood oil-field as including the lands herein involved, from which fact respondent takes the position that the application of the petitioner for a permit to lease lands in the field was properly denied. The respondent sets forth in his return several other grounds for the denial of the permit, which need not be here considered for the reason that the above ground, in our opinion, formed a proper basis for the denial of petitioner’s application.

The act providing for the granting of permits to residents of the state to enter and prospect upon tidal and submerged lands and to lease the same on a royalty basis has been given extended consideration by this court and held to be a valid exercise of the sovereign power of the ■state and not in any way impinging upon the state or federal Constitutions, and not in conflict with any act of Congress or of the state of California.

(Boone

v.

Kingsbury,

206 Cal. 148, 194 [273 Pac. 797].) The act confers express power and authority on the surveyor-general to determine the exterior boundary lines of any oil-field in the state. There can be no doubt, therefore, of the power and authority of the surveyor-general to make the order of September 7, 1928,

supra,