The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-09-08

these coal lands should be opened, and
that the Pacific slope should be given the
benefit OF the comparatively cheap coal
of fine quality which can he furnished at
u reasonable price from these fields; but
the public through the government,
ought certainly to retain wise control
and interest in these coal deposits. and
think II may do so safely n congress win
authorize the granting Of leases, as al
ready suggested for government coal
lands In the United States, with provl-
sions forbidding the transfer of the
leases except with the consent OF the
government thus preventing their acqui-
sition by n combination or monopoly and
upon limitations as to the area to be in
cluded In any one lease to one individual
and Mt 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 condl-
tions 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withdrawn from agricultural entry 2S20,-
900 acres of supposed oil land in Califor-
MIA; about a million and half acres In
Louisiana of which only $500 acres
were known to be vacant unapproprla-
tod land; 1900 acres In Oregon and ma
900 acres In Wyoming making total OF
| nearly 100000 acres In September. 1909
| directed that all public oil lands
whether then withdrawn or not. should
be withheld from disposition pending con-
gresslonal 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
A. IA 4.
sirable to reserve certain fuel-oil deposits
for the use of the American navy. Ac-
cordnCly the form of all existing with
drawals was changed, and new with
drawals aggregating 2,7J0O00 acres were
| made in Arizona, California, Colorado
New Mexico Utah and Wyoming. Field
examinations during the year showed
that of the original Withdrawals, 2,i70,-
coo 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.
that July /, 1910, the outstanding with
drawals then amounted to i,550,OO0 acres
The needed oil and gas law Is essential
ly a leasing law, In their natural occur
renee, oil and gas cannot be measured In
terms of acres. like coal, and II follows
that exclusive title to these products can
normally be secured only after they reach
the surface. OIL should be disposed of AS
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
oil land is In private ownership. The
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 n landowner deal directly
with the oil producer rather than through
the Intervention OF a mddleman 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 a 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-
clally 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
| n 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 II is i'm
| portant that If the government is to have
its share of the oil 1t should begin the
| opening of wells on its own property,
| IT has been suggested and believe the
suggestion to he n sound one, that per-
nits be issued to a prospector for oil
| giving him the right to prospect for two
years over n certain tract of government
land for the discovery of oil. the right to
| he evidenced by license for which he
pays q 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 mining law.
! OF course II 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
acarcest element in nature. 1t IL easily
| extracted in useful form from the phos
| plate rock, and the United States con-
| tains tho greatest known deposits OF this
| rock in tho 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 T. 1879. there were 1000 900
| acres withdrawn from agricultural entry
in the ground that the land covered phos-
| plate rock Since that time, 2.3220 900 acres
| of the land thus withdrawn was found
| not to contain phosphate in profitable
| quantities, while 1,67s.O 900 acres was classi-
fled properly as phosphate lands. During
| this administration there has been with
| drawn and classified 900 acres, SO that
| today there is classified as phosphate rock
| land 2.ll5.OOO acres. This rock Is most
| important in the composition of fertilizers
| to improve the soil, and as 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 he
followed A 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 aeri-
| cultural lands OF the west. II II =
| Thought desirable to discourage the expor-
| - M