Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-05-26
BRoADENs POLICY
Of SELLING
COAL LAND
COAL VALUES NOW
DETERMINE THE PRICE
Departmental Regulations Now
Assure Adequate Return to
C,\ernment for Valuable Fuel
Deposits,

IL H'N
,s nlocing even greater emphasis this
wear upon its work of classifying ana
,an,ning the public coal lands. the
,ational policy of promoting the most
,dvontageous disposal of the pubheI
lands is continued under secretary
paallinger and by his instructions the
director of the survey is transmitting
Ia the commissioner of the general
land office land cl~assifications basea
,non the reports of findings of the
deld biologists. To the fullest extent
,,ossihlc under the law the effort IS
T., secure the wisest utilization OF the
r., ources of the public domain
Recently enacted legislation givss
10 the agricultural cntryman whose
entry was made prior to the passage
of the act the privilege of clectlnS
To take the surface rights, while the
coal rights are reserved for future and
separate disposition. The chief or ire
Denver field division of the general
land office reports that from informa-
ton received in his office 80 per cent
of the Colorado entrymen in areas
supposed to contain coal Will elect TO
lukt llAit " III ~ H'NEi
the United States coal rights. 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 Mr.. Ral-
finger in 1907, when COMMISSIONS OF
the general land Office.
If the cntryman, on the other hand'
chooses to contest then the issue be-
comes one of relative worth bctWeeh
agricultural and coal values. In al
report to Secretary Ballinger the di-
rector of the survey stated that IN
tho case Of the North Dakota lands, TO
which this act was supposed to be spc-
ciallly applicable. while all western
North Dakota, a part of which haa
been withdrawn as coal lands, Is be-
lievcd by the biologists of the survey
to be actually underlain by workable
DEPOSITS of Ignite, yet in all but %
townships this area is conceded to be
at present more valuable for agricul-
tural than for its deposits OF
low grade coal.
The regulations for the classification
and valuation of the government coal
lands as revised in April provide for a
somewhat more discriminating separa-
ton of the coal and non-coal lands
and for the fixing of more adequate
valuations upon lands underlain by.
the higher grades of coal. These
changes were determined upon By the
secretary of the interior from the con-
sidcration 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
natter of coal royalties collected both
by the states and by private landown-
crs. 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 continuing the
lowest grade bituminous coal or lig-i
mites is fixed at the minimum proNld-
cd by law. the intent being TO thus
encourage, so far as the law permits,
the Immediate utilization of these low
grade fuels. Another rule states that
in all valuations of Goa bed any spe-
cial condition enhancing the value OF
the land for coal mining purposes
Shall be taken into consideration.
INC ItNlStu Stlltllt uSNt III INV WI
uation of the coal lands differs from
that formerly in force in two general
respects. The basis is now specifically
that of coal tonnage II the anc
prices thus determined for the better
grades Of coal, anthracite and cook
ing-bituminous, are somewhat higher,
the maximum being raised from 800
To $40 per acre, and indeed this maxi
mum does not hold in districts which
contain large coal mines whera tho
character and extent Of the coal de-
posts are well known to the pur-
chaser"
The plan Of valuing the pubii, coat
l7rTS by accurate determtdaf.fa ri
coal quality and tonnage is tlc nest
equitable possible and while adequate
r~otl;rrs are secured to the government
tha lar 4 prices thus fxed rarci" DO
amount to one-fourth of the royalties
Prevailing in the same districts am eng
rIiYatc interests.
The present cheme Of valuation is
as follows; Anthracite and coking-
bituminous Goals are valued at 2 to 3
cents a ton High-grade ~non-coking
bituminous Goals are valued at l cent
TO ? cents a ton. High-grade sub
bituminous and low-grade bituminous
Goals are valued at y cent to l cent
a ton. Low grade sub-butuminous
Goals and lignites are valued at the
minimum price fixed by law of $40
and $50 an acre. The tonnage is
worry c~onservatively estimated and ac-
tual recovery ought always to ex-
coed the tonnage upon which h val
uation is based.
y few instances arc cited as show
ing the comparative working out OF
Valuations under the different land
Irlicies In one township neac hMk
springs, Wyo., the valuation of which
las Just been completed by the geo.
j Sical survey. the coal lanG values
asgregate $2.so0. 900. on the basis .f
one cent a ton. The amount for which
the government would have sold thceg
lands on the basis OF the minimum
price allowed by law. under the in
depreciation which held prior to 1898.
is 100000. while under the valuation
plan Of last year. the amount weuli
have been a little less than $1,000
600.
In q Montana township. near u
Nawaw - fem..a.la. L. FI. ratW lna II