The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-06-04
PRICING PUBIC COAL LANDS

pie austere days and the reaction is
| instructive against moral disorder.
PRICING PUBLIC COAL LANDS
Secretary Ballinger Broadens Pol
icy of Selling Coal Lands at
Coal Values.
The United States geological sur
vey is placing even greater emphasis
this year upon its work of classify
ing and valuing the public coal
lands. The national policy of pro-
noting the most advantageous dis
posal Of the public lands is con-
tinued under Secretary Ballinger
and by his instructions the secre-
tary 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. ex-
tent possible under the law the eff
fort is to secure the wisest utiliza-
ton Of the resources of the public
domain.
Recently enacted legislation gives
to the agricultural entryman whose
entry was made prior to the pas
sage of the act the privilege of elect
ing to take the surface rights, while
the coal rights are reserved for flu
ture and separate disposition. The
chief of the Denver field division of
the general land office reports that
from information received in his Of
flee ninety per cent Of the Colorado
entrymen in areas supposed to con-
tain coal will elect to take title to
the surface, reserving to the United
States the 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.. Ballinger in 1907, when COM
missioner of the general land Of
fee.
If the entryman. on the other
hand, chooses to contest, then the
issue becomes one of relative worth
between agricultural and coal val
ues. In report to Secretary Bal
linger, the director of the survey
stated that in the case OF the North
Dakota lands, to which this act was
supposed to be specially applicable.
while all western North Dakota, a
part OF which had been withdrawn
as coal lands, is believed by the ge-
ologists of the survey to be actually
underlain by workable deposits of
Ignite, yet in all but 81 townships
this area is conceded to be at pres
ent more valuable for agricultural
purposes than for its deposits of low
grade coal.
The regulations for the classical
ton and valuation Of the govern
ment coal lands as revised in April
provide for a somewhat more dis
eliminating separation of the coal
and non-coal lands and for the fix
ing OF more adequate valuations up
on lands underlain by the higher
grades of coal. These changes were
determined upon by the secretary Of
the interior from the consideration
of present conditions in coal mining
in the Western States, where thin
ner 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.
Two of the regulations indicate the
spirit of these administrative meas
>ures for safeguarding the disposal
of the nations remaining coal lands.
The price Of coal land containing the
lowest grade 'bituminous coal or lig-
mites is fixed at the minimum pro-
vided by law, the intent being to
thus encourage, so far as the law
permits, the immediate utilization
OF these low-grade fields. Another
rule states that in all valuations of
coal beds any special condition en-
HANGING the value of the land for
coal mining purposes shall be taken
into consideration.
The revised scheme used in the
valuation OF coal lands differs from
that formerly in force in two gem
eral respects. 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 some
what higher, the maximum being
raised from 500 to $500 per acre.
and, indeed, this maximum does not
hold in districts which contain
large coal mines where the charac-
ter and extent Of the coal deposits
are well known to the purchaser
The plan Of valuing the public
coal lands by accurate determination
Of coal quality and tonnage is the
most equitable possible, and Will.
equitable returns are secured to the
government. the land prices thus
fixed rarely amount to one-fourtl
OF the royalties prevailing in the
same districts among private inter
ests.
The present scheme Of valuation
is % follows: Anthracite and COX
Ing bituminous Goals are valued a
2 to 3 cents ton; high grade non
coking bituminous Goals are valued
at 1 cent to 2 cents a ton. Higl
grade sub bituminous and low grad.
bituminous Goals are valued at Il;
to- 1 cent q ton. Low grade sub
bituminouss Goals and lignites are
valued at the minimum price fixet
by law, OF $40 and $40 an acre