Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-09-09

carry up the maximum OF value to 500
an acre. In my Judgment 1t Is essenual
in the proper development of Alaska that
these coal lands should be opened, ana
that the Pacific slope should be given the
benefit of the comparatively cheap coal
of fine quality which can be furnished at
a reasonable price from these helds' out
the public. through the government,
ought certainly to retain wise controi
and interest in these coal deposits, ana
think 1t may do so safely IL congress will
authorize the granting of leases. as al
ready suggested for government coal
lands in the United States, with provi-
sions forbidding the transfer or the
leases except with the consent OF the
government, thus preventing their acqul-
stion by a combination or monopoly and
upon limitations as to the area to be in
cluded In any one lease to one individual,
and at a certain moderate rental, with
royalties upon the coal mined proper
toned to the market value OF the coal
either at Seattle or at San Francisco. or
course such leases should contain condi-
lions requiring the erection OF proper
plants. the proper development by mod
ern mining methods of the properties
leased, and the use OF every known and
practical means and device for saving the
life of the miners.
Oil and Gas Lands.
In the last administration there were
withdrawn from agricultural entry $780,
900 acres Of supposed oil land in Ca!ifor-
MIA: about a million and half acres In
Louisiana, of which only $500 acres
were known to be vacant unappropria-
ted land; 5000 acres in oregon and 174-
| 900 acres in Wyoming, making a total Of
nearly 100000 acres. In September. 1909.
I directed that all public oil lands.
whether then withdrawn or not, should
be withheld from disposition pending con-
gressionaI action for the reason that the
existing placer mining law. although
| made applicable to deposits Of this char
| acter. is not suitable to such lands, and
| for the further reason that IL seemed de-
| sirable to reserve certain fuel-oil deposits
| for the use of the American navy. Ac-
| cordingly the form of all existing with
| drawals was changed, and new with
| drawals aggregating 2,I5O0O0 acres were
made in Arizona, California, Colorado,
| New Mexico. Utah and Wyoming. Field
examinations during the year showed
| that Of the original withdrawals, 2.17O.-
| 900 acres were not valuable for oil, and
| they were restored for agricultural entry.
| Meantime other Withdrawals of public
| oil lands in these states were made, so
that July 1, 1910 the outstanding with
drawals then amounted to 4,5JO,0OO acres.
The needed oil and gas law is essential
| " leasing law. In their natural occur
| renee, oil and gas cannot be measured In
| terms of acres. like coal, and 1t follows
that exclusive title to these products can
| normally be secured only after they reach
| the surface Oil should be disposed of as
a commodity in terms OF barrels OF
| transportable product rather than in
| acres OF real estate. This is. of course,
| the reason for the practically universal
adoption of the leasing system wherever
yClaf "a
government thus would not be entering
on an experiment. but simply putting
into effect a plan successfully operated in
private contracts. Why should not the
government as a Landowner deal directly
with the oil producer rather than through
the Intervention of a middleman to whom
the government gives title to the land?
The principal underlying feature of
such legislation should be the exercise of
beneficial control rather than the collec-
ton of revenue. AS not only the largest
owner of oil lands. but as a prospective
largo consumer OF oil by reason Of the
increasing use of fuel oil by the navy.
| the federal government is directly con-
cerned both in encouraging rational de-
velopment and at the same time insuring
the longest possible life to the oil sup
| ply.
| One Of the difficulties presented, espe-
| cially in the California fields, Is that the
Southern Pacific railroad owns every
| other section of land in the oil field.
| and in those fields the oil seems to be In
| a common reservoir, or series OF reser-
| voirs, communicating through the oil
| sands, so that the excessive draining Of
| oil at one WELL or on the railroad terri
| tory generally, would exhaust the oil In
| the government land. Hence 1t Is i'm
portant that IL the government Is to have
| its share of the oil 1t should begin the
opening of wells on its own property.
| 1t has been suggested, and believe the
suggestion to be a sound one, that per-
| mits be issued to a prospector for oil
giving him the right to prospect for two
years over a certain tract Of government
| land for the discovery of ell. the right to
! be evidenced by a license for which he
| pays a small sum. When the oil Is dis
| covered, then he acquires title to GER
tain tract, much in the same way as he
would acquire title under a mining law.
| OF course If the system OF leasing is
| adopted, then he would be given the
| benefit of a lease upon terms like that
| above suggested. What has been said in
respect to oil applies also to government
| gas lands.
Phosphate Lands.
| Phosphorus is one of the three essen
| tials to plant growth, the other elements
| being nitrogen and potash. OF these
| three phosphorus is by all odds the
| scarcest element in nature. 1t Is easily
| extracted in useful form from the phos-
| phate rock and the United States con-
| tains the greatest known deposits of this
| rock in the world They are found in
Wyoming, Utah and Florida, as well as
| in South Carolina. Georgia and Tennes-
| see. The government phosphate lands are
| confined to Wyoming, Utah and Florida.
| Prior to March 4, 1909, there were 1900, 900
acres withdrawn from agricultural entry
| in the ground that the land covered phos-
| phate rock Since that time. 2,322. 900 acres
| of the land thus withdrawn was found
| not to contain phosphate in profitable
| quantities. while 1,67s,0oo acres was classi-
fed properly as phosphate lands. During
this administration there has been with
| drawn and classified 437. 600 acres. so that
today there is classified as phosphate rock
land 2.115,O0O acres. This rock is most
i important in the composition of fertilizers
| to improve the soil. and the future is
| certain to create an enormous demand
| throughout this country for fertilization.
| the value to the public of such deposits
as these can hardly be exaggerated. Ger
| tainly with respect to these deposits a
careful policy of conservation should be
| followed law that would provide n
| leasing system for the phosphate depos-
its. together with provision for the sep
aration of the surface and mineral rights
| as is already provided for in the case of
| coal would seem to meet the need of
| promoting the development Of these de-
| posits and their utilization in the agri-
| cultural lands of the west. If 1t IS
| thought desirable to discourage the expor-
tation Of phosphate rock and the saving