All patents for public lands shall be issued and signed by the Secretary of the Interior in the name of the United States: Provided, That the Secretary may delegate his authority under this section to officers or employees of the Department of the Interior, but notice of any such delegation shall be given by publication in the Federal Register.
(June 17, 1948, ch. 496, §1,
A prior section 15, R.S. §458; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. III, §4 eff. June 30, 1940, 5 F.R. 2108,
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,