§ 54. Completion of surveys; delivery to States

The Secretary of the Interior shall take all the necessary measures for the completion of the surveys in the several surveying districts, at the earliest periods compatible with the purposes contemplated by law; and whenever the surveys and records of any such district are completed, the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate shall deliver over to the secretary of state of the respective States, including such surveys, or to such other officer as may be authorized to receive them, all the field notes, maps, records, and other papers appertaining to land titles within the same.

(R.S. § 2218; June 5, 1924, ch. 264, 43 Stat. 394; Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 462, 43 Stat. 1144; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, § 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100.)

Codification

Codification

The original text of R.S. § 2218 provided for completion of surveys “in the several surveying-districts for which surveyors general have been, or may be, appointed” and also provided that “the surveyor general thereof shall be required to deliver over” all papers appertaining to land titles within the district, “and the office of surveyor general in every such district shall thereafter cease and be discontinued.” The references to the surveyors general were omitted in view of act Mar. 3, 1925 (classified to section 51 of this title) abolishing office of surveyor general and transferring its activities to the Field Surveying Service, under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Supervisor of Surveys. See, also, Transfer of Functions note below.

R.S. § 2207, formerly cited as a credit to this section, which provided for appointment of surveyors general, was superseded by act Mar. 3, 1925 (classified to section 51 of this title) and repealed by act Mar. 3, 1933, ch. 202, § 1, 47 Stat. 1429.

Act June 5, 1924, appropriated funds for use in making the surveys in twelve districts.

Act May 25, 1906, ch. 2554, 34 Stat. 199, provided for a survey, pursuant to R.S. § 2218, of unsurveyed lands in Louisiana, and was omitted.

Provisions of act Oct. 2, 1888, ch. 1069, 25 Stat. 525, which provided for transfer to State officials of field notes, maps, records and other papers appertaining to land surveys in Nebraska and Iowa, were omitted.

All records, etc., belonging to office of recorder of land titles for Missouri were delivered to State upon discontinuance of office, by provisions of act June 6, 1874, ch. 223, § 3, and act July 31, 1876, ch. 246.

R.S. § 2218 derived from acts June 12, 1840, ch. 36, § 1, 5 Stat. 384; July 31, 1876, ch. 246, 19 Stat. 121.

Transfer Of Functions

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of functions of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out under section 1451 of this title.

“Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate” substituted for “Supervisor of Surveys” on authority of section 403 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946. See note set out under section 1 of this title.