The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-09-08

carry UP the mEximum OF value TO 800
an acre. In my judgment II is essential
In the proper development Of Alaska that
these coal lands should be opened. and
that the Pacific slope should be given the
benefit OF the comparatively cheap coal
of fne quality which can be furnished At
a 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 It may do 30 safely II congress win
authorize the granting Of leases, as al
ready suggested for government coal
lands in the United States, with provi-
sions forbidding the transfer OF the
leases except with the consent Of the
government, thus preventing their acqui-
sition 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. OF
course such leases should contain condi-
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.
withdrawn from agricultural entry 2.SoO.-
900 acres Of supposed oil land in Califor-
MIA; about a million and a half acres in
Louisiana, OF which only $500 acres
were known to be vacant unappropria-
ted land; 1900 acres in Oregon and 174,-
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whether then withdrawn or not, should
ho xxyifh
gressional 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 1t seemed de-
sirable to reserve certain fueI-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 2,75O,OOO acres were
made in Arizona, California, Colorado
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Field
examinations during the year showed
that OF the original Withdrawals, 217o,-
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 4,55OO acres
The needed oil and gas law Is essential
~ a 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
commodity in terms of barrels of
tr1nsportable product rather than in
| acres of real estate. This Is, Of course.
ths 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 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
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-
ciaIly 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 If 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 q certain tract of government
land for the discovery of OIL the right to
be evidenced by 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 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. It 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 4,0000 900
| 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 1,678 900 acres was classi-
fed properly as phosphate lands. During
| this administration there has been with
| drawn and classified 49, 900 acres. so that
| today there Is classified as phosphate rock
land 2115,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 be
| followed. A law that would provide a
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
| of it for our own lands this purpose
could be accomplished by conditions in
| the lease granted by the government to
its lessees. OF course, under the consti-
| tuition the government could not tax
and could not prohibit the expectation Of
| phosphate, but as proprietor and owner
| of the lands in which the phosphate Is
| deposited 1t could impose conditions upon
the kind of sales. whether foreign or do
nestle, which the lessees might make of
tb,. mined