§ 78. Failure to comply with conditions of grant; annulment. On or
before the tenth day of January in each year the commissioner of general
services shall examine the records of all grants of land under water for
which patents shall have been issued containing conditions to be
complied with within fixed period of time after the issue of such
patents and make a list of all such grants containing such conditions of
which the periods for performance have expired. It shall thereupon be
the duty of the commissioner of general services to cause an
investigation to be made without delay for the purpose of ascertaining
whether or not compliance with the conditions contained in such grants
shall have been had, and he shall report thereon to the
attorney-general. It shall be the duty of the attorney-general to begin
actions against all such patentees or their successors in interest or
assigns for the annulment of all patents the conditions of which shall
be found not to have been complied with within the period fixed in such
grants for compliance.