The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-12-06

ment which are being treated ih ac-
cord with the principles of scientific
forestry.
The law now prohibits the reserva-
tion OF any more forest lands in Ore
gon, washington, Idaho, Montana,
Colorado and Wyoming except by act
| Of congress. | am informed by the
| department OF agriculture that the
government owns other tracts of tim
berland In these states which should
| be included in the forest reserves. I
recommend to congress that the lin
itation herein imposed be repealed.
In the present forest reserves there
are lands which are not properly for.
est land and which ought to be sub
ject to homestead entry.
Coal Lands.
The next subject, and one most I'm
portant for your consideration, Is the
disposition of the coal lands In the
| United States and in Alaska. AT the
| beginning Of this administration there
were classified coal lands in the Unit
ed States amounting to 5,476,000 acres,
and there were withdrawn from entry
for purposes of classification 1857 900
acres. Since that time there have peen
Withdrawn by my order from entry
for classification 1897 ,745 acres. maxi
ing q total withdrawal of 96,S44,7 ,745
acres. Meantime of the acres thus
withdrawn 10,061 ,SS9 have been classi-
fed and found not to contain coal and
tn OF
try and 4,726,091 acres have been clas-
sified as coal lands, while 79.903,239
acres remain withdrawn from entry
and await classification. In addition
$4,000 acres have been classified as
coal lands without prior withdrawal,
thus increasing the classified coal
lands to 10,429,a72 acres.
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 con-
troll as owner | think there might be
some liberality in the amount leased
and that $500 acres would not be too
great a maximum. The leases should
only be granted after advertisement
and public competition.
The secretary of the interior thinks
there are dli2culties in the way Of
leasing public coal lands. | entirely
approved his stating at length in his
report the objections In order that the
whole subject may be presented to
congress, but after a full considera-
ton l favor a leasing sstem and rec
ommend IL.
The needed oil and gas law Is es-
sentially leasing law. In their nat
ural occurrence oil and gas can not
he measured in terms OF acres, like
coal, and 1t follows that exclusive IT,
tie 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.
Water Power Rates.
The water power sites subject is
one that calls for new legislation. II
has been thought that there was dan.
ger of combination to obtain posses
sion OF all the power sites and to
unite them under one control. What
ever the evidence of this or lack OF
It, at present we have had enough
experience to know that combination
would be profitable, and the control
OF a great number of power sites
would enable the holders or owners
to raise the price OF power at will
within certain sections, and the
temptation would promptly attract in
vestors, and the danger OF monopoly
and extortion would not be a remote
one.
However this may be, 1t is the
plain duty OF the government to see to
It that in the utilization and develop
ment of all this immense amount OF
water power conditions shall be i'm
posed that will prevent extortionate
charges, which are the usual accom-
paniment of monopoly.