The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-12-07

two or three years.
There Is no need for radical re
form In the methods of disposing OF
what are really agricultural lands. The
present laws have worked we'll. The
enlarged homestead law has encour
aged the successful farming of lands
in the semi-arid regions.
"Nothing can be more important in
the matter Of conservation than the
treatment Of our forest lands. 1t was
probably tho ruthless destruction OF
forests in the older states that first
called attention to the necessity for a
halt in the waste of our resources.
I'm the present forest reserves there
are lands which are not properly for
est, and which ought to be subject to
homestead entry. This has caused
some local irritation. We are care
fully eliminating such lands from for:
est reserves or where their eumina
ton is not practical listing them fol
entry under the forest homestead act
Congress ought to trust the execu'
tive to use the power of reservation
only with respect to land most valu.
able for forest purposes. During the
present administration, 62,250,000
acres Of land largely non-timbered.
have been excluded from forest re.
serves, and 100000 acres of land
principally valued for forest purposes
have been included in forest reserves,
making reduction in forest reserves
of non-timbered land amounting to
2,75O,O00 acres"
Coal Lands.
"The next subject, and one most i'm
portant for your consideration, is the
disposition of the coal lands in the
United States and Alaska. At the be-
ginning Of this administration there
were withdrawn from entry for pur.
poses of classification 1857 900 acres.
Since that time there have been with
drawn by my order from entry for
classification 7s,977,745 acres, making
a total withdrawal of 96,S44,745 acres.
Meantime of the acres thus with
drawn 1,O61,SS9 have been classified
and found not to contain coal and
have been restored to agricultural en-
try, and 4,726,091 acres have been
classified as coal lands; while 7,993,239
acres remain withdrawn from entry
and await classification. In addition
$4,000 acres have been classified as
coal lands without prior withdrawal.
thus increasing the classified coal
go. IN IN 400 o7C aoroc
Under the laws providing for the
disposal of coal lands in the United
States, the minimum price at which
lands are permitted to be sold is SO
an acre; but the secretary of the in
terror has the power to fix a maximum
price and to sell at that price.
las one-third of all the coal supply
is held by the government, it seems
wise that it should retain such con-
troll over the mining and the sale as
the relation of lessor to lessee fur
nishes
The secretary of the interior thinks
there are difficulties in the way of
leasing public coal lands, which OBJ
jections he has set forth in his re-
port, the force of which l freely con-
cede. entirely approve his stating
at length in his report of the objec.
tons in order that the whole subject
may be presented to congress, but
after full consideration, for the rea.
sons have given above, I favor
leasing system and recommend it."
Water Power Sites.
Prior to March 4, 1909, there had
been, on the Recommendation of the
reclamation service, withdrawn from
agricultural entry, because they were
regarded as useful for power sites
which ought not to be disposed of as
agricultural lands, tracts amounting
to about 100000 acres. The with
drawals were hastily made and in.
Guided a great deal of land that was
not useful for power sites. They were
intended to include the power sites
on 20 rivers in 8 states. Since that
time 3,475,442 acres have been re-
stored for settlement of the original
1000, 900 because they do not con-
tain power sites; and meantime, new
Withdrawals have been made which,
with other reservations based upon |
field examination, result in withdraw.
ais at present effective of 1,21S,S56
acres on vacant public land and 202,-
1877 acres on entered public land, or a
total of 1,420,553 acres. These with
drawals made from time to time cover |
all the power sites included in the
first withdrawals and many more, on
ISL rivers and in IL states. The dis
position of these power sites involves
one of the most difficult questions pre-
scented in carrying out practical con.
servation.
THE subject is one that calls for
new legislation. 1t has been thought
that there was danger of combination
to obtain possession of all the power
sites and to unite them under one
control. Whatever the evidence OF
this, or lack Of 1t, at present we have
had enough experience to know that
combination would be profitable, and
the control Of great number Of pow
er at will within certain sections.
However this may be, it is the
plain duty of the government to see
to it that in the utilization and devel