The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-12-06

Is idsd fdr 81 u siifes
me 90 On AZ b how Steat an
iiFeii ought 70 Je ineiua Cd q iease t.
one indlv1duhf or corporation i not
nee from Giifacu1fy, but 81 View OF the
fact that the government retnins CON
trol as owner think there might be
some IiBeFaiify in the amount leased
ana that 500 4acHes would not be- too
grtsat mnsxln1un- The leases Shoul0
only be granted after Advertisement
and public competition.
BY the opportunity to read5ust the
terms upon which the coal SHAH be
held by the tenant either at the end OF
each lease or at periods during the
term the government may secure the
beneft Of sharing in the increased
price Of coal and the additional profit
made by the tenant BY Imposing con-
ditions IN respect to the character OF
work to be done in the mines the gov
eminent may control the character OF
the development OF the mines and the
treatment of employees with reference
to safety. BY denying the right to
transfer the lease except by the writ
ten permission of the governmental au-
thorities 1t may withhold the. needed
consent when It is proposed to transfer
establishing a monopoly OF coHl pro
duction in any state or nelghborhood-
AS one.thlrd OF all tfe coal supply is
held by the government, It seems wise
that It should retain such control over
the mining and the sale as the relation
of lessor to lessee furnishes.
The secretary of the interior thinks
there are difficulties in the way OF leas-
ing public coal lands, which objec-
lions he has set forth in his report.
the force of which freely concedc.
entirely approved his stating at length
in his report the objections in order
that the whole subject may be present
ed to congress. but after a full consld-
Grafton, for the reasons have given
above, I favor a leasing system and
recommend it.
Oil and Gas Lands.
In the last administration there were
withdrawn from agricultural entry
2,s2o.OOO acres of supposed oil land in
California; 1.451.52o acres in Iouisi-
ana, of which only 65oo acres were
known to be vacant Incorporated
land: "A .4S9 acres in Oregon, making
a total of 4.346369 acres. In Septcm-
Der, 1909, directed that all public
oil lands, whether then withdrawn or
not, should be withheld from dtspost-
ton pending congressional action, for
the reason that the existing placer
mining law, although made applicable
to deposits of this character. is not
suitable to such lands. and for the fur
Their reason that it seemed desirable to
reserve certain fuel oil deposits for
the use of the American navy.
Accordingly the form OF all existing
Withdrawals was changed. and new
Withdrawals aggregaung 2,T00000
acres were made in Arizona, Califor-
MIA. Colorado, New Mexico. Utah and
wyoming. Field examinations during
the year showed that OF the original
Withdrawals 2.19o.424 acres We're not
valuable for oil, and they were re-
stored for agricultural entry. Mean
time other Withdrawals of public oil
lands In these states were made, so
that Nov. 10, 1910, the outstanding
Withdrawals then amounted to 4.Gj4.-
COO acres.
The needed oil and gas law IS es-
sentially a leasing law. In their nat
ural occurrence oil and gas cannot be
measured iu terms OF acres, like coal,
and it follows that exclusive title to
these products can normally be Sc
cured only after they reach the sur
race. Olt ne ulSpOSG@ " 40 q
commodity in terms OF barrels of
ira nsportable product rather than In
acres of real estate. This is. of course,
the reason for the practically uni
versal adoption of the leasing system
wherever oil land is in private owner
ship. The government thus would not
he entering on an experiment, but
simply putting into effect 81 plan sue
cessfulIy operated in private contracts.
Why should not the government as
landowner deal directly with the oil
producer rather than through the in.
tervention 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
collection of revenue. AS not only the
largest owner Of oil lands, but as n
prospective large consumer OF oil by
reason of the increasing use OF fuel oil
by the navy, the federal government
Is directly concerned both in encouTaS'
ing rational development and ut the
same time insurinE the longest posi-
Bile life to the oil supply.
The royalty rates fixed by the gov
crnment should neither exceed nor fall
below the current rates. But much
more important than revenue is the
enforcement of regulations to conserve
the public Interest SO that the COW
enants of the Iessees shall specifically
safeguard oil fields against the penal: