The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-11-30

lation and supervision by the Sec
rotary of the interior, or through the
sale of the deposits, and in either
case with restrictions on their min
ing and use which would control the
minimum output and conserve the
deposits as a public utility. l be-
lieve the most advantageous method
will be found in a measure %authoriz-
ing the lease or sale of the cOal de.
pOsits in the lands, subject to for
fixture for failure to exercise the
rights granted, under such reason
able regulations as may be imposed
An exploration period of at least one
year upon a permit basis, at a nomi-
nal charge would insure to the ap-
plicant the necessary preliminary
knowledge upon which to make the
and venture the necessary invest
ment for operation. The maximum
unit authorized for this use could
safely be made from three to five
sections provided no greater surface
rights be granted than will give
proper facilities to reach the extract
the coal deposits.
In ase of failure of the lessees
or grantees to open and operate the
coal deposits under reasonable limi-
tation and to maintain an output rea.
sonably suited to the deposits, and
in case of combinations as to price
or limitation of output, title should
be forfeited by proceedings in court
for that purpose. Government mine
supervision would doubtless be
necessary to enforce the conditions
and limitations under the grant.
The above suggestions with refer
ence to the disposition of coal de-
posts are equally applicable to the
oil and gas fields in the public do
main and similar legislation as to
lands containing the same is hereby
recommended. Indeed, the very ma
ture of these two important mineral
resources requires that their dispo-
Sition be in terms of quantity of the
product extracted rather than of
acreage.
Pending the enactment of new leg
islation as affecting coal lands, all
known coal areas were withdrawn
from entry for classification and ap-
praisement drought the geological
survey.
OOuSIcSo ndo, ny lAC dCC VI rOUl
airy 10, 1909, substantially adopted
the recommendations made by me as
commissioner of the general land Of
flee, in the enactment of a statute,
known as the dry farming" or EN-
larged homestead act, authorizing
the classification and entry of
semiarid lands. The department
has, through the geological survey,
under this act classified 172,097,64
acres.
l have also recently withdrawn
temporarily, for the purpose of sub
hitting the subject to congress for
new legislation, large treas of oil
lands in Wyoming, California, Utah,
and Oregon.
1 desire to call attention to the
Importance of asking congress to au-
thorize the executive to reserve GER
tain areas of these lands for the pur-
pose of affording a supply of fuel oil
for the future use of the navy, and
to make such regulations as may be
necessary for the proving and ex-
traction of such deposits. No leg
islation exists for the entry of oil and
gas lands other than the general min
ing laws of the United States, which
are not adaptable to the disposition
of lands containing mineral oils and
gas.
Under the previous administration
there we're temporarily withdrawn,
pending action by congress, 4,702,-
500 acres of land in the states of
Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, as con-
tanning phosphate deposits. These
lands are being reexamined by the
geological survey at my direction
with a view to eliminating all tracts
not containing such deposits. The
area of the original Withdrawals has
now been reduced to 4,471480 acres
by elimination of nonphosphate lands
and l am advised by the classifying
officers that additional areas will be
eliminated as a result of their ex-
animation. The lands containing
are not adapted to dis
position, and should not be allowed
to be disposed of as either placer or
lode mineral claims, but the deposits
should be leased or sold in limited
areas and on conditions preventing
monopoly and insuring domestic use.
The so-called timber and stone
acts of June 3, 1878, and August a,
1902, should be repealed, and a law
enacted providing for the disposition
of all the remaining timber upon the
public lands separately from the soil
and for the disposition of the land
after the timber is removed, under
appropriate agricultural or mineral
laws.
Unserveyed Railroad Lands in
National Forests-The approximate
aggregate of lands subject to adjust
ment under the railroad land grants
in national forests, within the pri-
mary limits, which are unsurveyed is
6~,057,4O0 acres.
These lands can not be surveyed
out of the present or general ap-
preparations by congress for the sur
vey of public lands, as such survey
without additional legislation would
not give the department authority to
reimburse itself out of the lands in
case of failure of the private owners
to make repayment on demand.
There is no incentive for the grantees
of these lands to ask for surveys and
IN ra1o 1anooifc thorofor ipocpnuch