The San Francisco call., 1909-06-06
COAL LANDS SOLD
AT TRUE VALUES
Secretary BaIIinger BrOadens
Policy of DiSpOsing of Cow
ernment Ignite Deposits
Recently Enacted Legislation
Gives Agricultural Entryman
Privilege of Surface Rights

ANAA 1t.l1AAeA ~-Atli liAioNAN Al4AN NclA AFNA
its work of classifying and vsluing
the public coal lands. The national
policy Of promoting the most advan-
tageous disposal Of the public lands is
continued under Secretary Balm ger,
and by his instructions the director of
the survey II. transmitting TO the COM
missioner Of the general land Office
land olassihoations based upon the re-
ports OF findings Of the field geologists.N
To the fullest extent possible under
the law the effort is to secure the
Wisest utilization Of the resources of
the public domain.
Recently enacted legislation gives 10
the agricultural entryman whose entry
was made prior to the passage of the
act the privilege of electing to take
the surface rights, wniie the coal
rights are reserved for future and sep
arate disposition. The chief Of the
Denver field division Of the general
land office reports that from informa-
-15en received in his Office 80 per cent
- the Colorado entrymen in areas
supposed 10 contain coal viii elect to
take title to the surface. reserving to
the United States the coal rights.
INDICATES WISDOM OF LAW
This alone indicates the value and
wisdom Of this legislation. which is
the first important amendment of the
coal land act along the lines urged by
Ballinger in 1907. when commissioner
Of the general land Office.
If the entryman chooses to contest,
then the issue becomes one Of relative
worth between agricultural and coal
values. In a report TO Secretary Bal
linger the director of the survey stated
that i'm the case of the North Dakota
lands 10 which this act was supposed
10 be specially applicable, while all
western North Dakota, a part Of which
had been Withdrawn as coal lands is
believed by the geOlogIsts Of the sur
Ney to be actually Underlaid by work
able deposits of Ignite, yet in all but
% townships this area is conceded to
be at present more valuable for agri-
cultural purposes than for its deposits
OF low grade coal
The regulations for the classification
and valuation Of the government coal
landst as revised in April. provide for
somewhat more discriminating sepa-
ration Of the coal and noncoai lands
and for the fixing Of more adequate
valuations upon lands underlaid by the
higher grades Of coal. These changes
were determined upon by the secre-
tary Of the interior from the consid-
GRAFTON Of present conditions in coal
mining In the western states. where
thinner and deeper beds are being
mined than was formerly the case and
OF current practice in the matter of
coal royalties collected both by the
states and by private land owners.
SAFEGUARD COAL LANDS
Two Of the regulations indicate the
spirit OF these administrative measures
for safeguarding the disposal Of the
nations remaining coal lands. The
price Of coal lands containing the low
r1E hfrrarrar
IS fixed at the minimum provided by
laW, the intention being TO thus en-
-o9urage, so far as the law permits, the
Immediate utilization of these low
grade fuels. Another rule states that
in all valuations Of coal beds any spe-
cial condition enhancing the value Of
the land for coal mining purposes shall
be taken into consideration.
The revised scheme used in the valu-
Btion Of the coal lands differs from that
formerly IN force in two general re-
epects. The basis is now specifically
that Of coal tonnage, and the land
prices thus determined for the better
grades Of coal, anthracite and coking
bituminous are somewhat higher, the
maximum being raised from 500 to
$500 per acre. This maximum does not
hold in -"districts which contain large
coal mines where the character and ex-
tent Of the coal deposits are well
known to the purchaser"
The plan Of valufng the public coal
lands by accurate determination of coal
quality and tonnage IS the most equi-
fable possible and while adequate re-
turns are secured to the government
she prices thus fixed rarely amount to
one-fOurfh of the royalties prevailing
fn the same districts among private in
Eerests.
The present scheme Of valuation is
as follows: Anthracite and coking
bituminous Goals are valued at to 3
cents a ton. High grade noncoking
bituminous Goals are valued at 1 cent
20 ? cents a ton. High grade sub
bituminous and low grade bituminous
GOALS are valued at 4 cent to 1 cent
"a ton. Low grade sub bituminous
Goals and lignites are valued at the
minimum price fixed by law OF $40
and $50 an acre. The tonnage is very
conservatively estimated and actual
recovery ought always. to exceed the
tonnage upon which the valuation is
based.
INSTANCES ARE CITED
A few instances are cited as show
slg the comparative working out of
valuations under the different land
policies. In one township near Rock
Springs. Wyo., the valuation of which
has Just been completed by the geolog-
icsl survey, the coal land values aggre-
gate s2.S0O, 600. on the basis Of / cent
: ton. The amount for which the gov
ernment would have sold these lands
on the basis Of the. minimum price
allowed by law. under the ipterpreta-
tion which held prior TO 1905, Is $780,
600. while under the valuation plan of
last year the amount would have been
q little less than $1.0oo,O00.
ia a Montana township, near the
town Of Roundup. on the new line of
the Milwaukee, the. original amount
which the government would have re-
ceived under the $50 minimum rate
was sl12 600; under the regulations of
last year, sl4l,00O; and under the
present valuation scheme adopted
Ss70. OO0. some OF the coal being now
valued at S65 an acre where $40 and
SIS respectively would have been the
former rates.
Near the great Castlegate coal field,
sn Utah. the survey is now valuing
some Of the government land contain
ing thick beds of cokng coal In this
field thousands Of acres would run over
the maximum Of $500 an acre. as op-
posed to the $50 minimum price and
SIS under the former valuation scheme.
Dozens Of other equally striking in
"a five