The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-27
PHOSPHATE MATTER
FULL OF INTEREST
Lode or Placer Application ON
Western Phosphate Beds Is
Big Issue.
REVIEW GIVEN OF
RECENT DISCUSSION
Washington Officials Seem Very
Anxious to Reach Decision
on Question.

gress on the subject Of the disposal oil
the phosphate beds in Wyoming, Idaho
Utah, New Mexico and Arizona nave
lust come from the Government Print
ing Office, and form most interest
ing chapter in the history of mining,
saws the Mining and Scientific Press.
1t will be remembered that after a
meeting of the national conservation
commission last year, IN which the
statement was made that there was a
great scarcity of phosphate in the
United States, James r. Garfield, then
secretary Of the interior, withdrew the
phosphate lands from entry, pending an
investigation into their extent and
value. The lands remain withdrawn,
the bill introduced by Frank w, Mon
dell of Wyoming which provided for
! their. location and entry under the
| placer mining law have failed to pass.
Mr.. Mondell s bill was intended To clear
up muddled situation. Some of the
claims have been entered rs placers and
others as lodes, In addition to pro-
viding that all claims in the future
should be entered under the placer min
ing law. the bill provided that all lands
containing phosphate deposits that had
heretofore been located under the laws
providing for the entry Of mineral lode
claims might be patented under the
provisions OF this law, but that no title
so acquired TO lands containing such
deposits should give the locator any
rights beyond the perpcndlcular limits
of his claim. Il further provision Of
the bill was 10 the effect that i'll case
of conflict between locators under the
placer laws and the mineral lode laws
on locations heretofore made, the re.
spective claims were to be determined
as though the location of these lands
under either of the above laws was
valid at the time the locations were
made
The hearings on the bill drew out the
widest possible divergence of opinion
among attorneys representing the own
ers of deposits, members of congress
and geologists, IL was conteuded most
vigorously that the phosphate deposits
were not placer deposits, and should be
entered under the mineral lode law.
This was denied just as vigorously, 1t
was declared that not only was the
phosphate supply of the United States
extremely limited, but that there was
also scarcity Of phosphate throughout
the world. This statement was also
combated with much spirit, the at
torneys representing the owners of the |
deposits disagreeing with the officials |
as to the supply available, Those who |
took part IN the discussion were James |
u. Garfield secretary of the interior;
Frank Pierce, assistant secretary;
George Otis Smith. director Of the geo |
logical survey; Frank Mondell, Repre-
sentative from Wyoming; l.. T.. Payson.
former members of congress, represent.
ing locators under the lode land law;
Adds Is. Browne, attorney. Of Washing
ton, representing the San Francisco
Chemleal company, which owns phos-
phate deposits entered under the
placer-mlnlng laws; Benjamin Micou,
an attorney in Washington. represent
ing Lucius 7. Brown of Nashville.
Tenn, the owner Of twenty-three claims
IN Idaho, located under both the placer
and lode laws; and F. B. Weeks of ,
geological survey, who had examined
the deposits.
MI, Garfield stated TO the commit
tee his reasons for the withdrawal Of
tho phosphate lands, declaring that the
geological survey officials. in their
stndy of the. phosphate question, had
called attention TO the fact that in
a great many localities throughout the
country. especially in the agricultural
areas of the older states, There had
been rapid loss in the productive
value OF the soil because of lack of
re-fertilizatlon. and that there would ;
be neod IN this country for great
amounts of phosphate Mr.. Garfield was {
Followed by Mr., Smith, who said that
the investigations Of the department OF
agriculture had shown that the soil of {
Lhe country now under cultivation was |
being exhausted of IFS content of phos ,
ohorlc acid at the rate OF about 1000. /
200 tons per year. and that to replenish 7
t would require at least 5000. 900 tons
or phosphate rock annually. /
1--WE know that through a period Of :
years the production of phosphate rock I
has quite rapidly increased in this coun. |
Try, y said the Director. "We know G
hat IN South Carolina, Florida, and Q
l, i,ennessee, the production is now some [
Chlng In excess Of 100000 tons per =
year; We know that the total pro I
luction has been about 80 900 900 tons. !
and that since 1900, 14,00O,0OO tons @
nave been exported to replenish the t
*ornout lands of continental Europe 9
IN South Carolina, at tho present rate I
" production. the supply will be cx. d
lausted In twelve years, and the same i
N FLORIDA. AT the present rate of 2
it would last over half II
century in Tennessee but for the fact
hat as soon rs Florida and South Caro-. c
ina leave the market the Tennessee a
PRODUCTION must increase very rapidly.
md that means that probably in about :
twenty-five years we will see tho end q
,f the high grade phosphate rock in !,
Tennessee. That is what has turned !
'ur eyes westward, and there we have n
supplies much greater than those in the n
'ast. While the demand has not been 8
such as to draw upon those supplies. Y
We know that the time will come when II
hey Will be III demand. The phosphate o
lreaS or the west cover about 1900 G.
quare miles; that is the aggregate of h
he areas withdrawn. With regard to d
he need Of the use OF artificial fertiI. h
zers, there is no question among the g.
agricultural authorities Of this land &
They agree that we have been eradu W
lily defaulting on our farms, and not s.
nly are we already in default, but we a
re adding to the deficit something like q,
he equivalent of 100000 tons of I,
phosphate rock annually-morc than y
now produced in the whole world v;
there is a gradually increasing export n
# phosphate rock from this country, =,
nd there is promise Of greater in q,
The Franco. .Gnrmau con,pun,- | :.