CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES. 91

poena witnesses and call for and compel the production of necessary books
and papers belonging to the person, firm, association or corporation making
the returns.

1929, ch. 574, sec. 15.

15. The Conservation Commissioner shall, after examination and
approval by him of such statement, transmit the same, together with all
moneys received as royalties and rentals, to the Comptroller of the State of
Maryland, with his verification. Any moneys arising under the provisions
of this sub-title shall, by the Comptroller, be placed to the credit of the Con-
servation Fund; provided that all amounts in excess of $5, 000 shall be
paid into the general funds of the State Treasury.

1929, ch. 574, sec. 16.

16. Any person, firm, association or corporation desiring permission
to extract rare earth and minerals from the public lands under the public
navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay, under this sub-title, must make
application therefor to the Conservation Commissioner of the State,
describing the location of the land under the public navigable waters of
the Chesapeake Bay from which the rare earth and minerals are to be
recovered, where possible by stakes driven at definite corners, or otherwise,
so as to make practicable the survey provided for in the next following
section; the application to be accompanied by a filing fee of $10.

1929, ch. 574, sec. 17.

17. Upon receipt of such application and the payment of $100, the
Conservation Commissioner shall direct the Engineer of the Conservation
Department to survey the land described. Said Engineer shall make an
actual survey of the land at the expense of the applicant, establishing the
location of the land by metes and bounds; and within thirty days there-
after file with the Conservation Commissioner a copy, under oath, of his
field notes and plat. If the expense of said survey exceeds the amount of
deposit, the applicant shall pay the difference, but in case the deposit is
greater than the expense, then the Conservation Department shall refund
the applicant the difference between the cost of survey and the amount
deposited.

1929, ch. 574, sec. 18.

18. All applications made under this sub-title shall be approved or
rejected by the Conservation Commissioner, with the approval of the Board
of Public Works, within ninety days after the receipt thereof. No such
application made under this sub-title shall be approved by the Conservation
Commissioner unless and until the same has been approved by the Board
of Public Works of Maryland. And whenever the existence of any mineral
or rare earth deposit under the public navigable waters of the Chesapeake
Bay is brought to the attention of the Conservation Commissioner by an
applicant, preference is to be given to the discoverer of the deposit as
against any other applicant within the discretion of the Board of Public