Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-03
COAL LAND INVESTIGATIONS
House Committee Investigating Methods By
Which Corpora tions Acquire Them.
STATE " rHEm OUT IN UTAH DEAL
Int .enue Bureau Permits
- of Denatured Alcohol I'm
.cS\ Cars Under Supervision
of Government.
~
CFrom a stafr Correspondent.)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.-(Special Tele-
gram )-MaJor John f. Lacey, chairman Of
the public lands committee of the house.
was in conference today with Secretary
Hitchcock relative to the coal land laws
of the United States. and the alleged
frauds growing out of their occupancy by
the railroads aud other holding companies.
THE first thing in the matter of legisla-
ton is to get the actual facts" said Major
Lacey. THE committee on public lands
of the house has taken up the subject of
the presidents message on the coal lands
question and has taken considerable testi-
mony. 1t will resume the hearing on Janu-
ary 9. Secretary Hitchcock has been in
vited to appear at that time.
Evidence taken thus far deals with the
subject Of the procuring of coal lands by
the state of Utah as agricultural land and
then selling the same as coal land at $3.50
an acre. The United States government
cannot sell coal land at less than $40 an
acre when located more than fifteen miles
from railroad and not less than $50 an
acre If less than fifteen miles from rail-
road.
Price Prevents Regular Entry
This price has been high enough to cause
land to be taken very slowly for coal.
Only about 1900 acres of coal land was
entered in the whole United States last
year and it has averaged not over $4,000
acres a year during the last six years
Goal land, 1t appears, is secured in this
roundabout way through the state selection
and not under the coal land law, but to
avoid the payment of the high price, fixed
at SO and $40 an acre under the coal land
law.
I'm Wyoming and the Dakotas the state
land cannot be sold at less than $40 an
acre under the terms of the grant to the
state, so that there is no profit in getting
the state to select land to sell to coal
purchasers because the price would still
be not less than $40 an acre. If there are
64,0OO0OO acres of government coal land
in the United States, as suggested by the
late order of withdrawal, 1t can readily be
seen that at 80 900 or 10000 acres a year II
would take long time to make much i'm
preston on 1t.
But there have been entries made under
other laws, so as to avoid the coal land
| laws. The evasion of the coal land laws
seems to have been accomplished in various
ways. The committee is seeking to gel
at the bottom facts
Tank Cars for Alcohol
The commissioner of internal revenue has
determined to allow the shipment of de-
natured alcohol In tank cars just as gaso-
| line and kerosene is now shipped. Alcoho
when denatured will be shipped In tanl
cars under the supervision Of internal rev.
| enue collectors. and when filled and Of
hcially sealed, a tank car will be considered
a package The law does not say VIVA
dimensions package shall be, and there
fore it is to be construed that package
may be of any size the commissioner may
see fit to permit. This method of trans
porting denatured alcohol will enable it,
manufacturers to compete successfully al
to rates with shippers OF gasoline and kero
sene This move on the part of the com
missioner of internal revenue is considered
about the hardest blow the Standard OF
people have had in many days, as de
natured alcohol can thus come into dIrec
competition with that company's products
Minor Matters at Capital.
w. +. Field, special agent of the super
vising architects Office of the Treasury de
partment. left tonight for Iowa to lool
over various sites offered to the government
for public buildings at Clarinda, Decorah
Baskerville and Shenandoah.
The application of ], W. Wilson, C. c
McCune, James Bell and others to organic
the First National bank of Polk, Neb.
with $4,000 capital, has been approved b.
the comptroller of the currency.
Postmasters appointed; Nebraska, AL
bany, Sheridan county, Allen Barker vic
M. Roberts, resigned. Iowa, Randall, Fay
ette county, Andrew ]. Ramsay, vice ]. E
Smith, resigned.
Peter McLaren has been appointed reg
ular and Hiram Flavanway substitute rura
carrier for route at Vienna, S. d.