The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-02
COAL OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
~ IMMENSE DEPOSITS ~ INDIAN
TERRITORY.

The object Of senator La Toilette In Oppos-
Ing the Leasing OF the Coal Fields TO
the Railroads X 10 Retain the Lands
and Hold Them In Trust for the Indians.
WASHINGTON, April l.-Statistics SUI pied
by Senator La Toilette of Wisconsin con-
corning the available coal supply in Indian
Territory, in the course of the debate en-
an indian bill in the Senate last week, are
unusually interesting at this time. The
debate grew out of a proposal in the bill to
close the tribal relations Of the five civilized
indian tribes, which authorized the Secre-
tary Of the Interior to lease for u term OF
thirty year the coal lands whioh the Govern.
ment now holds in trust for the Indians in
Indian Territory. Senator Clark Of Wyo-
ming had said that the value of the coal
lands was anywhere from $40, 600, 900 to
$50, 900, 600.
1nis brought Mr.. La Toilette to the fore
with an array of figures supplied by the
United States Geological Survey, which
had made a survey of all the coal lands in
the Territory. According 10 the report,
there are 437, 734 acres, of which 1O4 600
acres, or about one-fourth. have already
been leased. The Indians receive eight
cents a ton royalty under the leases, which,
according to the figures supplied by the
Survey, yields them about $500 an acre for
their coal lands in royalties alone. Senator
La Toilette was assured by the officers of
the Survey that this was a fair estimate
of the values of all OF the lands involved.
This is a most remarkable deposit OF
coal" said Mr.. La Toilette " running from
bituminous coal of not a very high grade
up to almost anthracite in quality. There
is no other like deposit so far as | am able
to ascertain, of bituminous coal in the coun-
try. Applying the ascertained values of
the royalties in no far as the coal lands
have been mined to the remaining lands,
the computation would show all the lands
to be worth iii royalties alone SA7i 900 eco.
The value of this cCal az mined out is
from 81 90 20 81 n ton at the m ne. Taking
81 per ton as the value OF the coal at the
mouth Of the mine, it means that there is a
value of coal deposits in those lands upon
the average of $40 600 per acre. Applying
this figure to the entire acreage makes Il
total valuation of S4,377, GOO 900 for these
coal lands in Indian Territory, something
more, | think, than a third of the capitalized
value Of all the railroads in the country"
The significance Of Mr.. La Follette's
figures, IL they are half as stupendous as
he has given them, is that the Government
to-day is in control Of coal fields with suffi-
cient resources to meet any emergency
that might arise in the country and which
would make unnecessary the proposition
advanced during the previous great an
thracite strike, to seize upon private mines
and operate them for the benefit of the pub
lie. It is the object of, La Follette's
persistent opposition to leasing the lands
to retain these coal deposits under Govern
ment control as trustee for the Indians.
He objects either to the leasing or the sale
OF the lands until a commission has gone
over the territory and ascertained the ap-
proximate value of the deposits. Senator
La Toilette says that his figures were COLI
sentative and were based on the value of
the output at the mines, which was 81 a ton,
but he added that the same coal found the
market sixty miles away from the mines
at 81 a ton.