The Detroit times., 1910-09-05

Hands, especially those containing coal
oil gas Phsspha,,sSs; or wsserPow IN,
? power OF withdrawal by executive or
der. OF lands subject by law TO home
stead and the other i METHODS TS o eSeee.
J dent he set I'm this matter Was fol'
! lowed by the present administration
Doubt had been EXPRESSED ,h In ss som'
: tive TO make such Withdrawals. Ths
; confusion and Injustice likely 10 arise
IL the courts were TO deny the powe,
; led me TO appeal to congress to give
the president the express power. Con,
! gress has complied. The law as passed
7 does not expressly validate or connrn
J previous Withdrawals. and therefors
as soon the new law was passed.
; myself confirmed all the Withdrawals
} which had !theretofore been made 10y
: 10th administrations by making then,
over again This power OF withdrawal
is most useful one. and l do not
think IL is likely TO be abused.
Coal Lands.
The next subject. ana one most inn
P1r,ant for our the eos ianas in the
United States and I'm Alaska First, as
10 those In the United states. Al the
beginning OF this administration here
were classified coal lands amounting
TO 5,476.000 acres. and there were
withdrawn from entry for purposes OF
classification l7,s6L0oo acres; since
by my order from entry for cfassinca,
tion TT.64S. 900 acres, making total
withdrawal of e6.Si5,0oO acres. Mean
| 81. 900 have been CLASSIFIED and FOUND
not to contain coal. and have been re-
stored to agricultural entry. and A.
| $4,000 acres have been classified as
coal lands; while 79.7ss.000 acres re-
main withdrawn from entry and await
classification. In addition $50. 1000 acres
have been classified as coal lands with
out prior withdrawal. thus increasing
the classified coal lands to lO,l6S.ooo
acres.
227 coal entries were made. embracing
an area of 1891 acres. which sold for
1888. o2o,to. For the year ending
MasGa s1 an area OF ss4is
which sold for seoS.s1s; and down to
August 1910. there were but II en-
soid for '1 ss s 1850 81 making disposi-
ton OF the coal lands In the last two
years of about $4,000 acres for 81
On Nov. IL. 1905. President Roosevelt
issued an executive order withdrawing
all coal lands from location and entry
In Alaska On May ls, 1907. he mod.
locations made prior to the withdrawal
on Nov. IL. 1905, to proceed to entry
and patent; Prior to that date some
said to be illegal because either made
fraudulsntly BY dummy ,Ia,v,s sntrymsn I'm IN
made prior Or to io ss between the sp-
ths lands. there sp are IS Claims Tor $50
ssc Which srs Claimed to be- HsG
an attorney for IS dinerent and bon:
nde claimants who. az alleged. pald
to locate their entries and protect
them. The representatives Of the gov
eminent In thu hearings before the
of these Cunningham claims ON the
ground that prior to their location
there was an understanding between
they e'f had BEEN peer perfsctsd and unite
them In ono company. The trend OF
decision seems to show that such an
although under the subsequent law Of
May %. 1908. the consolidation OF such
claims was permitted, after location
sna eni Ss OF course q for me
to intimate what the result of the
issue as to the Cunningham and other
Alaska claims !; Likely to DC; put q ~ !,
no private claims for Alaska coal
lands have AZ yet been allowed or per-
fected. and also that whateyer the re-
coal-ia land laws OF Alaska are most un-
satisfactory and should be radicall,
amended. To begin with. tho purchase
per acre. although. as we have seen,
the estimate Of the agent Of the geo.
my judgment il Is essential in the
proper development Of Alaska that
these coal lands should be opened. and
t that sns fa Of the eSs
coal OF fine quality which can be fur
nished at q reasonable price from these
but o the pues 20 resan
wise control and interest In these coal
deposits, and I think II may do so
safely II congress will authorize the
granting OF leases, as already sug-
gested Tor government coal lands In
the United States. with provisions FOR
bidding the transfer of the leases ex-
cept with the consent OF the govern
ment, thus preventing their acquisi.
ton by a combination or monopoly ana
upon limitations as to the area to be
viduai and at a certain moderate rem
tai. with royalties upon the coal mined
mined proportioned to the market value
Of the SSai ei5ssr course as SUCH leases
should contain condition. requiring the
erection Of proper plants, ,n IN: p mees
fse sy eased ana the
use of every known and practical
means and device for saving tho lives
The government of the United States
has much TO answer for In not having
given proper attention TO the govern.
ment Of Alaska and the development
OF her resources for the beneft OF all
the people Of the country. would not
force development at the expense OF a
present or future waste of resources;
but the problem as to the disposition
of the coal lands for present and
future waste of resources: but the
problem as to the disposition OF the
can be wisely and safely settled In one
session II congress gives 1t careful
attention.
OF and Gas Lands.
In the last administration there were
withdrawn from agricultural entry T.
| $40. 900 acres OF supposed oil land In
California; about a million and q half
$500 acres were known TO. be vacant
Incorporated land; $4,000 acres In
Oregon and $4,000 acres In wyoming.
making a total OF nearly four millions
| of acres. In September, 1909. direct
ed that all public oil lands whether
held from disposition pending congress
sional action. for the reason that the
exciting placer mining law. although
made applicable to deposits or this
character, Is not suitable 10 such lands,
and for the further reason that II
| fuei-oii deposits for the use of the
American navy. Accordingly the form
| of all existing Withdrawals was
changed. and new Withdrawals aggre-
eating ALSO. 900 acres were made in
arizona. California, Colorado New
aminations during the year showed
that OF the original withdrawals q
| 10000 acres were not valuable for oil.
and they were restored for agricultural
public oil lands in these states were
| vnada so that Juiy 4 1910 the ont