The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-31
IMMENSE AREA Of
LANDS WITHDRAWN
Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Mon.
tana and Oregon States
Affected.
RECOMMENDATION MADE
BY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Indications Are That President
Taft Will Follow ROOse-
welt Policy.
Special to The Tribune.

Special TO The Tribune.
WASHINGTON. May 30-An.
nouncement is made today that the sec
retary Of the interior has withdrawn
1866 acres OF public lands in Utah.
Colorado. Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
and Oregon since April %.
These Withdrawals were made on the
recommendation of the geological sur
vcy. which was directed by Secretary
Ballinger TO make an investigation of
such streams on public lands as were
thought valuable for power purposes
with a view Of conserving the power
and TO aid proposed legislation afcc
ing the the disposal or the water power
sites OH the public domain This in
dicates that, notwithstanding the ap.
parent conflict between Secretary Viii
son and Secretary Ballinger, over the
matter of Withdrawals, President Taft
adhcres to the policy of President
Roosevelt in taking charge of and leas-
ing water rights in waters under It's
jurisdiction.
On this point there will be an in.
cvitable conflict between the legislative
| and executive, for many senators hold
TO the view that the government has
no right to dispose of the use of
water in streams; in short. that it has
no property therein. Ex-senator Tel
| Ter is one of the strongest advocates Of
this view, and the Democratic senators.
almost to man. support 1t. Nelson
of Minnesota has prepared au exbaus
| tive report. condemning the policy
which President Roosevelt inaugurated.
and which Mr.. Taft seems inclined TO
carry out.
Still More to Come.
| The work of Withdrawals is not over.
The director Of the geological survey
is hurrying investigations, commenced
under thc order of Secretary Ballinger.
and believes that he can complete fhe
recommendations for Withdrawals by
! the TIME congress conyenes IN Deccm
! ber, so that the work of legslating
may speedily follow Surveys are to
/ be made Of those streams in Utah and
other states without delay. Saws the
Official order, issued today:
- Five OF the eleven Withdrawals
made include all power sites available
in the areas that were withdrawn by
Secretary Garfield and restored to en-
try by Secretary Ballinger last month -
The present Withdrawals. however.
comprise much smaller acreage. one
sixth or less of the areas of the cor
responding earlier Withdrawals This
reduction has been made possible in
part by omission of lands patented or
reserved prior to the original with
drawals, but more largely by the cy-
cluslon of land in no wise essential or
useful to power development.
The vacated Withdrawals included
large areas Of public land of possible
agricultural or mineral value at such
distances from the rivers as 10 have
absolutely no connection with the fu,
ture development Of the water re-
sources. On the other hand, the re-.
vlscd Withdrawals in the snme regions
IN some instances cover power sizes
missed by the earlier action. Tins in
the case of the Salmon river. in Idaho
where the original withdrawal totalcd
1850 acres that based upon the re.
cent recommendation Of tho geological
survey includes $1,000 acres.