The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-01-21
URGES CONSERVATION OF
THE NATIONS RESOURCES
President Taft Sends Special Message to Con-
gress Recommending Prevention Of Land
Frauds, Control Of Water Power, Fos-
tering of Soils and Kindred Subjects

to legislation to meet conditions or
emergencies as they arise.
Properly to Classify Lands.
One OF the most pressing needs in
| the matter of public-land reform is
| that lands should be classified accord
| ing to their principal value use. This
| ought to be done by that or department
| whose force is best adapted to that
| work. 1t should be done by the inter-
| Tor department through the geological
| survey. Much of confusion. fraud. and
contention which has existed in the
| present has arisen from the lack Of
| an official and determinative classii-
| cation OF the public lands and their
contents.
1t is now proposed to dispose Of ag
| ricultural lands as such. and at the
! same time to reserve for other DISPOSE
| ton the treasure of coal. oil. ashphal-
| tum. natural gas and phosphate con-
| tanned therein. This may be best &C
| complished by separating the right
| to mine from the title to the surface.
| giving the necessary use OF SO much of
| the latter as may he required for the
| extraction OF the deposits. The sur
! face might he disposed of as agricul-
| tural land under the general agricul-
turaI statutes. while the coal or other
| mineral could be disposed Of by lease
| on a royalty basis. with the provisions
ment each year: and in order to pre-
vent the use and cession of said lands
with others OF similar character so as
| to constitute a monopoly forbidden by
| law. the lease should contain suitable
| provision subjecting to forfeiture the
| interest OF persons participating In
| such monopoly. Such law should APP
| ply to Alaska as well as to the United
| States.
| Statute Difficult to Frame.
1t is exceedingly difficult to frame
| statute to retain government control
| over property to be developed by
private capital in such a manner as
| to secure the governmental purpose
| and at the same time not brighten
away the investment of the necessary
/ capital. Hence 1t may be necessary
i by laws that are really only expert
mental to determine from their prac-
| teal operation what is the best
method of securing the result aimed at.
The extent of the value of phosphate
| is hardly realized. and with the need
| that there will be for 1t as the years
| roll on and the necessity for fertiliZ-
ing the land shall become more acute.
| this will be a product which will prob
ably attract the greed of monopolists.
Public Land Along Streams.
With respect to the public land
| which lies along the streams Offering
| opportunity to convert water power
| into transmissible electricity, another
| important phase of the public land
| question is presented. There are val
liable water power sites through all
| the public land states. The opinion
| is held that the transfer of sovereignty
| from the federal government to the
| territorial governments as they become
| states. included the water power in
the rivers except so far as that owned
| by riparian proprietors. 1 do not
hfvlr IN 90 n RI ny1
| of this somewhat mooted question of
| law 1t seems to me sufficient to say
that the man who owns and controls
| the land along the stream from which
| the power is,to be converted and trans
mitted. owns land which is indiSpenS-
| able to the conversion and use of that
power. I cannot conceive how the
+ power in streams flowing through pub
| lie lands can be made available at all
except by using the land itself as the
site for the construction OF the plant
by which the power is generated and
| converted and securing a right of way
| thereover for transmission lines. I'm
der these condition, If the government
owns the adjacent land-indeed. If the
government is the riparian owner-it
may control the use of the water power
by imposing proper conditions on the
disposition OF the land necessary in the
creation and utilization of the water
power.
Value of Water Power.
The development in electrical appli-
ances for the conversion of the water
power into electricity to be transmitted
long distances has progressed so far that
it is no longer problematical, but it is a
| certain inference that in the future the
| power of the water falling in the streams
| to a large extent will take the place of
natural fuels. In the disposition of the
domain already granted many water
| power sites have come under absolute
| ownership. ard may drift into one own
| ership so that all the water power under
| private ownership shall be a monopoly.
| If, however. the water power sites now
| owned by the government-and there are
| enough of them-shall be disposed of TO
| private persons for the investment of
| their capital in such way as to prevent
| their union for purposes of monopoly
with other water power sites. and under
| conditions that shall limit the right of usa
| to not exceeding thirty years with renewal
privileges and some equitable means OF
| fixing terms of rental and with proper
| means for determining reasonable grad
uated RENTALS it would seem entirely pos
| sible to prevent the absorption of these
most useful lands by a power monopoly.
AS long as the government retains con-
| troll and can prevent their improper union
| with other PLANTS. competition must be
maintained and prices kept reasonable.
Soils Must Be Conserved.
| In considering the conservation of the
natural resources of the country, the fea-
| ture that transcends all others. including
woods, waters, minerals. is the soil of the
| country. 1t is incumbent upon the gov
| eminent to foster by all available means
| the resources of the country that produce
| the food of The people To this end the
| conservation OF the soils OF the country
| should be caied for with all means at the
| governments disposal. Their productive
| powers shouh have the attention of our
| scientists that we may conserve the new
| soils, improve the old soils. drain wet
| soils, ditch swamp soils. levee river over
| flow soils, glow trees on thin soils. pas
| ture hillside soils. rotate crops on all
| soils. discovtr methods for cropping dry
land soils, find grasses and legumes for
] all soils. fed grains and mill feeds on
| the farms where they originate. that the
| soils from which they come may be en-
| riched.
| A work Of the utmost Importance to in
| form and instruct the public on this chief
| branch Of the conservation OF our re-
| sources is being carried on successfully
| In the department OF agriculture: but 1T
| ought not = escape public attention that
| state action In addition to that OF the de-
| partment q agriculture Gas for instance
| in the drainage of swamp lands) is es-
| sentiai to the best treatment of the soils
| in the manner above indicated.
| The act ty which. in semi-arid parts OF