The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1910-09-09

carry up the maximum OF Value "
on acre In my Judgment IL Is &c.
IN the proper development OF Alasha .nas
these coal lands should De opensa, 49,,
49, +be pacific slope should be given the
.hd' az - Tho comparatively cheap coal
~ e. quality which can be furnished at
HE price from these neids' put
~ nublic. through the government,
ougbt certainly to retain a wise cohl,or
opd interest in these coal deposits' dnu ~,
+bJr,t Il may do so safely II congress W."
authorize the granting or leases DIS q"
raady suggested for government coai
80, 80 ~ The United States. with provi-
sIons forbidding the transfer Oh .ho
,nosas excent with the consent or the
c,.arprnent thus preventing their dcqS
t,tor bv a combination or monopoly anu
unon limitations as to the area 10 pe III
cIused In any one lease TO one lnuifiu
| and az a certain moderate ren'ai' VIZ"
| ROYALTIES upon the coal nhheu plopo
toned to the market Value ot 'no %.
offTat NJ Seattle or at San Francisco VI
oa,,rsa such leases should contain condi-
- r.ouiring me ctioh O. ,cN'f'sfs
,tanta the proper development oy moo-
ern mining methods of the properties
| leased and the use of every known anu
practfca1 means and device for saving the
| life Of the miners.
OIL and Gas LdTuS.
In the last administration thero We're
| w,th,lrawn from agricultural entry z,oZo'-
| noo acres of supposed oil land in Callfor-
Nobout a million and half acres in
| louisiana of which only $50 acres
| we're known to be vacant unapproprla-
| +.d land. rs COO acres in oregon ana 49,
| roo acres in wyoming making total OF
| nearly 100000 acres. In September, lsos'
directed that all public oil lands.
| whether then withdrawn or not, shoulo
| no withheld from disposition pending con-
gressional action. for the reason that the
existing placer mining law, although
| made applica BILE to deposits of this char
! ecter "a not suitable to such lands, and
| for the further reason that 1t seemed de-
! strable to reserve certain fuel=oii deposits
for the use OF the American navy Ac-
! rordtnely the form OF all existing with
| drawals was changed, and new with
! drawals aggregating 2750,0o0 acres were
| made in Arizona, California, Colorado,
New Mexico Utah and Wyoming. Field
| examinations during the year showed
that OF the original Withdrawals, 2l7O,-
| Geo acres were not valuable for OIL ana
! they were restored for agricultural entry.
Meantime other Withdrawals OF pubic
oil lands In these states were made so
| that July l. 1910, the outstanding WITH
drawals then amounted 10 4,550000 acres
! " leasing law In their natural occur
! renee oil and gas cannot be measured In
| terms of acres like coal, and tt follows
! that exclusive title to these products can
normally be secured only after they reach
the surface. on should be disposed of as
commodity In terms Of barrels or
! 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
oil land Is in private ownership. The
| government thus would not be entering
on an experiment. but simply putting
| into effect 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 colleo-
ton OF revenue. As not only the largest
owner OF oil lands, but as prospective
| large 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 every
other section Of land IN tho oil field.
| and In those feds 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 we'll or on the railroad terri
tory generally. would exhaust the oil in
the government land Hence 1t ks i'm
portant that II the government is to have
its share OF the oil II should begin the
opening OF wells on its own property
1t has been suggested, and ! believe the
suggestion to be sound one that per
mits lac issued to a prospector for oil
| giving him the right to prospect for two
years over certain tract Of government
land for the discovery OF oil. 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 a GER
tain tract. much IN tho same way as he
| would acquire title under mining law
| or course IL the system OF leasing Is
adopted. then he would be given the
! benefit OF 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
tails TO plant growth, the other elements
being nitrogen and potash or these
three, phosphorus is by all odds the
scarcest element In nature II 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 we'll as
| In South Carolina, Georgia and Tonnes
see. The government phosphate land. are
! confined to Wyoming. Utah and Florida.
| Prior to March T. 1893, there were LOCO 600
acres withdrawn from agricultural entry
| In the ground that the land covered phos-
| phate rock. Since that time 1922 900 acres
| OF the land thus withdrawn was found
| not TO contain phosphate in profitable
| quantities. while 1G1s000 acres was classi-
| ned properly as phosphate lands During
! this administration there has been with
| drawn and classified 437. 600 acres. SO that
| To-Day there is classified az phosphate rock
! land 2,ll5ooo acres This rock is most
Important in the composition OF fertilizers
| 10 improve the soil. and as the future ia
! certain to create an enormous demand
| throughout this country for fertilization
the value to the public OF such deposits