Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-09-09


sions forbidding tho trans r of the
leases except with the consent of the
government, thus preventing their acqui-
sition by combination or monopoly and
upon limitations as to the area to be In
cluded in any one lease to one Individual,
and at certain moderate rental, with
royalties upon the coal mined proper
toned to the market value of the coal
eitter 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
crn 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withdrawn from agricultural entry $780,
900 acres of supposed oil land In Califor-
MIA; about a million and n half acres In
Louisiana, of which only $500 acres
were known to be vacant unappropria-
ted land; 75,o00 acres in Oregon and 174,-
900 acres in Wyoming, making total of
nearly 100000 acres. In September, 1909,
I directed that all public oil lands,
whether then Withdrawn or not, should
be withheld from disposition pending con-
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-
srable to reserve certain fuel-oih deposits
for the use of the American navy Ac-
c0rdingly the form of all existing with
drawals was changed, and new with
drawals aggregating 2,75o,0oo acres were
made in Arizona, California, Colorado.
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Field
examinations during the year showed
that of the original Withdrawals, 2,170.-
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 4,650,000 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 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
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 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 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-
| cially 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 ir
the government land. Hence 1t Is I'M
portant that II the government is to have
I its share of tho oil 1t should begin tn,
opening of wells on its own property.
1t has been suggested, and believe th'
suggestion to be a sound one, that per
mits be issued to q prospector for oi
giving him the right to prospect for TIVE
years over a certain tract of government
land for the discovery of oil. the right t,
be evidenced by a license for which h,
pays small sum. When the oil is dis
covered, then he acquires title to a Ger
tain tract much in the same way as h
would acquire title under a mining law
i OF course II the system of leasing Il
adopted, then he would be given th
benefit of lease upon terms like tina
above suggested. What has been said II
respect to oil applies also to government
gas lands.
Phosphate Lands.
|
tials to plant growth, the other element
being nitrogen and potash. OF thes
three, phosphorus is by all odds tn
scarcest element in nature. 1t Is easil
extracted in useful form from the phos
phate rock and the United States cor
tains the greatest known deposits OF TN
rock in the world. They are found
| wyoming, Utah and Florida, as we'll a
in South Carolina. Georgia and Tenne:
see. The government phosphate lands al
confined to Wyoming. Utah and Florid;
Prior to March 4, 1909, there were 10000
acres withdrawn from agricultural entr
in the ground that the land covered pho!
phate rock. Since that time. 2,322. 900 acre
| of the land thus withdrawn was foun
not to contain phosphate in profitab
quantities. while 1,s7s.Oo0 acres was class
fed properly as phosphate lands Durir
this administration there has been Will
, drawn and classified 437. 900 acres so thi
. today there is classified as phosphate roc
, land 2.1l5,o0o acres. This rock Is mo
! important in the composition of fertilizer
, to improve the soil, and as the future
, certain to create an enormous demar
! throughout this country fer fertilizatio
the value to the public of such deposi
as these can hardly be exaggerated. Ce
tainly with respect to these deposits
careful policy of conservation should
followed. A law that would provide
3 leasing system for the phosphate depo
! its, together with provision for the Sc
, aration of the surface and mineral righ
= as is already provided for In the case
= coal, would seem to meet the need
:. promoting the development of these d
? posts and their utilization in the agl
= cultural lands of the west. II 1t
= thought desirable to discourage the expo
q tation of phosphate rock and the savii
. of II for our own lands, this purpo
= could be accomplished by conditions
. the lease granted by the government
y its lessees. OF course. under the cons
= tuition the government could not I,
and could not prohibit the expectation
phosphate. but as proprietor and own
of the lands in which the phosphate
: deposited 1t could impose conditions up
. the kind of sales. whether foreign or d
!, mestic, which the lessees might make
:. the phosphate mined.