American Motorists Insurance Co. v. Southwestern Greyhound Lines Inc‪.‬

Acting under the provisions of Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, Ch. 599, 49 Stat. 674, 676, the Secretary of the Interior issued to the defendant, Irene Essley, four noncompetitive oil and gas leases on tracts of public lands in Colorado. Each lease was for a period of five years, and contained a provision requiring that the lessee should pay "a rental of 50 cents for each acre or fraction thereof for the first lease year, and a rental of 25 cents for each subsequent lease year * * *; Provided, That * * * no rental is required for the second and third lease years. * * *" The leases were issued in late 1944 and early 1945, and, with one exception, no rental payments were made after the first year.