The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-14
PRESIDENT URGES
COAL LAND LEASE
Message Says Nation Should
Retain Title Fuel Resources
TO PREVENT LAND FRAUDS
Asks for Immediate Appropriation of
Half a Million-Need of LeuisIa-
tion Affecting Situation.
Small Grazing Fees.

washington, February 13.-President
Roosevelt sent to both houses of Con
sress a long message calling attention
TO what he terms the urgent need of
legislation affecting the different phases
of the public land situation in the United
States. He advocates the conservation of
coal and other fuel resources on land
still belonging TO the government, say
ing that henceforth the nation should re-
tain its title to its fuel resources, urges
government control of the western pub
lie land pastures with a system of small
grazing fees, etc, and asks for an ap-
preparation of half a million dollars i'm
mediately available. in addition to present
estimates, to aid In detecting and pre-
venting land frauds. He contends for a
system of government leasing of its min
eral lands and for treating these fuel
lands as public utilities.
The President points out that 1t would
have been better II some eastern coal
lands had been left under government
control and suggests provision in the
west against recurrence of the condi-
tions we deplore In the east"
Citing $500 cases Of public land entries
in four districts mentioned, the Presi-
dent says noncompliance with the law
was found in over half of them and de-
liberate fraud In very many cases.
Presidents Message.
The message in part says:
Such a leasing system as that pro-
posed represents by no means an untried
policy. In the Australian countries during
the last fifteen years, coal has been mined
under system of government leases.
In all the great coal producing European
countries, except Great Britain, the
leases are granted almost entirely by the
private land owners but there. as in
other countries, the surface culture and
the mining operations are conducted in
dependently of each other. In Nova SEQ
tia. British Columbia, India and other
British colonies, government leasing
system has been adopted and Is work.
ing satisfactorily. In the United States,
although conveyance of the mineral rights
with the surface has been common prac-
tice, the separate development of the
two interests is increasing; and in the
eastern and middle states a large part
Vi lnt tOdl Is QtiitS Iiiltu uliutl d oyS-
tenn of private leases. 1t is gratifying
to note that in these states, these two
great industries, agriculture and mining,
are conducted within the same boundaries
and the country thus attains its highest
dual development without conflict of in
terests. Indeed, the mining industry and
the factories using these fuels, create
large local markets for the products of
the farm,
Scarcity of Water and Forests.
''In our own western states and terri
tories the scarcity of both water and
forests has rendered necessary their
preservation as public utilities and the
preservation of the forests for the pur-
pose of conserving both the waters and
the timber supply has come to be recog-
nized as the wise and proper policy of
the federal government. The quantity
of high grade mine fuels In the west
Is relatively much smaller than that of
the forests and the proper conservation
of these fuels is a matter of far-reach-
ing importance. We have right to the
proper use of both the forests and the
fuel during our lifetime, but we should
not dispose of the birthright of our chill
dren.
'If this government sells Its remaining
fuel lands they pass out of its future
control. If 1t now leases them We retain
control, and a future Congress will be
at liberty to decide whether it will con-
tinue this policy. Meanwhile the gov
eminent can inaugurate system which
will encourage the separate and indepen-
dent development of the surface lands
for agricultural purposes and the extrac-
ton of the mineral fuels in such manner
as will best meet the needs of the peo-
pie and best facilitate the development of
manufacturing industries.
Objections Urged.
Il am aware that objections to this sys-
tenn are being urged. 1t is claimed that
so large a part of the coal in some of
the western states has already passed
into the hands of certain large corpora
lions that parties endeavoring to operate
under a lease system other coal deposits