The Montgomery tribune., 1910-09-09

area of 2s.if3 acres, which sold for $685. |
$751; and down to August, 1910 there were |
but n entries, with an area of 1,120 acres, |
which sold for s33.9iO6o, making dispo-
sition of the coal lands In the last two |
years OF about 200 acres for 81 100000
The present congress, as already said,
has separated the surface of coal lands
either classified or withdrawn Tor classi-
ication, from the coal beneath. so as TO
permit at all times homestead entries
upon the surface of lands useful FOR ag-
riculture and to reserNb the ownership
In the coal to the government The ques-
tlon which remains to be considered Ia
whether the existing law for the sale or
the coal in the ground should continue
in force or be repealed and new method
of disposition adopted. Under the present
law the absolute title In the coal be-
meath the surface passes to the grantee
of the government. The price liked ~
upon an estimated amount of the tons
of coal per acre beneath the surface. and
the prices are fixed so that the earnings
will only be n reasonable profit upon the
amount paid and the investment neces-
sary. But OF course, this Is more or less
guesswork and the government parts
with the ownership OF the coal In tho
ground absolutely. Authorities Of the ge-
illogical survey estimate that In the
United States today there is supply of
about three thousand billions of tons OF
coal. and that of this one thousand billions
are in the public domain. OF course, the 9TH
er two thousand billions are within private
ownership and under no more control as
to the use or the prices at which the
coal may be sold than any other private
property. II the government leases the
coal lands and acts as any landlord
would. and imposes conditions in It's
leases like those which are now imposed
by the owners in fee of coal mines In the
| would retain over the disposition OF the
coal deposits a choice as 20 the assignee
| of the lease, or of resuming possession at
| the end OF the term of the lease, which
| might easily be framed to enable 1t to
| exercise limited but effective control
| in the disposition and safe OF the coal to
| the public. II has been urged that the
| leasing system has never been adopted In
| this country, and that its adoption would
| largely interfere with the investment OF
| capital and the proper development and
| opening up Of the coal resources ven
| ture to differ entirely from this view.
The question as to how great an area
| ought to be included In lease to one
individual or corporation, is not free from
| difficulty; but in view of the fact that
the government retains control as owner.
| 1 think there might be some liberality In
the amount leased. and that $500 acres
i would not be too great maximum.
| BY the opportunity to readjust the
terms upon which the coal shall be held
| by the tenant, either at the end of each
| lease or at periods during the term, the
| government may secure the benefit of
| sharing in the increased price of coal and
the additional profit made by the tenant
| BY imposing conditions in respect to the
| character of work to be done In the
| mines, the government may control the
character of the development of the
mines and the treatment of employees with
| rofar 90 fatt
right to transfer the lease except by the
written permission of the governmental
authorities. 1t may withhold the needed
consent when 1t is proposed to transfer
the leasehold to persons interested In es-
tablishing a monopoly of coal production
in any state or neighborhood. The change
from the absolute grant TO the leasing
| system will involve good deal of
| trouble in the outset, and the training of
experts in the matter of making proper
leases; but the change will be good
one and can be made. The change Is In
the interest of conservation, and I am
glad to approve 1t.
Alaska Coal Lands.
The investigation of the geological sur
yey show that tho coal properties in
| Alaska cover about 100 square miles
and that there are known 20 be availab
about IL, 900, 600 COO tons. This is, however
because further developments will prob
ably increase this amount many times
but we can say with considerable GER
: tainty that there are two folds on the
Pacific slope which can be reached by
, A railways at a reasonable cost from deer
water-in one case about fifty miles and
in the other case of about 150 miles
.. which will afford certainly 5000 ,0oo.O .O0
tons of COAL more than half of which |!
of a very high grade of bitumnoGs ant
of anthracite. 1t is estimated to be worth
/, in the ground, one-half a cent ton
! which makes its value per acre from 50
to $500. The colxing-coal lands of Penn
sylvania are worth from $500 to $1,000 al
acre. while other Appalachian fields ar
: worth from $40 to 1886 an acre, and tn
a fields in the central states from $40 L
: 1000 an acre, and in the Rocky noun
r tains $40 to $500 an acre. The demand TO
: coal on the Pacific coast is for abou
Il 45OO 600 tons a year. 1t would encounte
r the competition Of cheap fuel oil, G
= which the equivalent of 100000 tons @
d coal year is used there. 1t is estimate
that the coal could be laid down at Sc
q attic or San Francisco. a high-grade b
- luminous, at 81 a ton and anthracite
SIS or SO a ton. The price of coal on tn
!. Pacific slope varies greatly from time
;. time in the year and from year to year.
- from "a to $12 a ton With a regular CO,
10 supply established, the expert of til
n
" made report on the subject. does n,
think there would be an excessive prot
in the Alaska coal mining because IL
| price at which the coal could be so
r would be considerably lowered by comp
H. tition from these fields and by the pre-
I'd ence of crude fuel oil. The history OF Il
Sc laws affecting the disposition of Alasi
lg coal lands shows them to need amen
" ment badly.
100 On November 12. 1906, President Roos
m welt issued executive order wit
T. / drawing all coal lands from location al
We entry in Alaska. On May 16, 1907,
ry modified the order so as to permit val
ng locations made prior to the withdraw
IS. on November -, 1905, to proceed to ent
n, and patent. Prior to that date some
nd claims had been filed, most of them ga
.e- to be illegal because either made fraud
BOO lently by dummy entrymen in the inte
Is; est of one Individual or corporation,
gn because of agreements made prior to
In cation between the applicants to co-opers
L