The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-06-02
PRICING PUBLIC
COAL LANDS
new PLAN IS INAUGURATtD
Secretary Ballinger BrOadens Policy of
Selling Coal Lands at Coal
Values.

The United States geological survey
is pacing even greater emphasis this
year UPON it's work of classifying and
valuing the public coal lands. The ma
tional policy of promoting the most
advantageous disposal of the public
lands is continued under Secretary
Ballinger and by his instructions the
director of the survey is transmitting
to the commissioner of the general
land office land classifications based
upon the reports of findings of the
field biologists. To the fullest extent
possible under the law the effort is to
secure the wisest utilization of the re-
sources of the public domain
Recently enacted legislation gives to
the agricultural entryman whose en-
try was made prior to the passage of
the act the privilege of electing to take
the surface rights, while 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 Informal
ton received in his office 90 per cent
of the Colorado entrymen in areas
supposed to contain cola will elect to
take title to the surface reserving
to the United States the coal rights.
This alone indicates the value and wis
dom of this legislation, which is the
first important amendment of the coal
land act along the lines urged by Mr..
of the general land office.
If the entryman, on the other hand,
chooses to contest, then the issue be-
Of
agricultural and coal values. In a re-
port to Secretary Ballinger the direc-
tor of the survey stated that in the
case of the North Dakota lands, to
which this act was supposed to be spe-
cially applicable, while all western
North Dakota, while all western
been withdrawn as coal lands, is be-
lieved by the biologists of the survey
to be actually underlain by workable.
deposits of Ignite, yet in all but "a
townships this area is conceded to be
at present more valuable for agricul-
tural purposes 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
We're determined upon by the secretary
of the interior from the consideration
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 prac-
tice in the matter of coal royalties
collected both by the states and by pri-
vate landowners. Two of the regu-
lations indicate the spirit of these ad-
ministrative measures for safeguarding
the disposal of the nations remaining
coal 'ands. The price of coal land con-
tanning the lowest grade bituminous
coal or lignites is fixed at the minimum
provided by law, the intent being to
thus encourage, so far as the law per-
mits, the immediate utilization of these
Iow-grade fuels. Another rule states
that in all valuations or coal beds any
special condition enhancing the value
of the land for coal mining purposes
shall be taken into consideration.
In 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 $40 minimum rate
was $112,0 900; under the regulations OF
last year, SAL 900; and under the
present va uation scheme adopted
April 81. by this administrat ton, $37O,-
600, some of the coal being now val
ued at $65 an acre where $40 and S25
respectively would have been the for
mer rates.
Near the great Castlegate coal field
in Utah. the survey is now valuing
some of the government land con-
tanning thick beds of coking coal. In
this field thousands of acres would
run over the maximum of $500 an
acre, as opposed to the $40 minimum
price and SIS under the former valua-
ton scheme. Dozens of other equally
striking instances of comparative val
uations might be cited.
The conservatism of even the pres
ent va uation plan is clearly shown