The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1910-09-09

$751; and down to August, 1910, there were
but II entries, with an area of 1,72O acres
which sold for s33,9lO.6O. making a dispo-
stion of the coal lands in the last two
years of about $4,000 acres for $1,SO5,OOO
The present congress. as already said,
| has separated the surface OF coal lands'
| either classified or withdrawn for classi-
lcation from the coal beneath, so as TO
| permit at all times homestead entries
| upon the surface of lands useful for ag-
| riculture and to reserve the ownership
| in the coal to the government. The ques-
ton which remains to be considered Ia
whether the existing law for the sale OF
| the coal In the ground should continue
| in force or be repealed and new method
| of disposition adopted. Under the present
law the absolute title In the coal be-
| meath the surface passes to the grantee
of the government. The price fixed Is
upon an estimated amount of the tons
| of coal per acre beneath the surface. and
| the prices are fixed so that the earnings
| will only be a reasonable profit upon the
amount paid and the investment neces-
sary. But, of course, this is more or less
| guesswork, and the government parts
with the ownership OF the coal In the
| ground absolutely. Authorities of the ge-
| illogical survey estimate that In the
| United States today there rs supply or
about three thousand billions OF tons of
coal and that of this one thousand billions
| are in the public domain. OF course, the 9th
err two thousand billions are within private
| ownership and under no more control as
to the use or the prices at which the
coal may be sold than any other private
| property II the government leases the
| coal lands and acts as any landlord
| would, and imposes conditions In lis
| leases like those which are now imposed
| by the owners in fee of coal mines In the
various coal regions of the east, then 1t
u nIt hn Il
| coal deposits choice as 90 the assignee
| of the lease, or of resuming possession at
| the end of the term of the lease, which
might easily be framed to enable 1t TO
| exercise a limited but effective control
in the disposition and sale OF the coal to
| the public. 1t has been urged that the
Leasing system has never been adopted in
this country, and that its adoption would
largely interfere with the Investment of
capital and the proper development and
opening up of the coal resources. | ven
ture to differ entirely from this view
The question as to how great an area
ought to be included In a lease to one
individual or corporation. is not free from
difficulty: but in view of the fact that
the government retains control as owner
I think there might be some liberality In
| the amount leased and that $500 acres
/ would not be too great maximum.
| BY the opportunity to readjust the
| terms upon which the coal shall be held
| by the tenant either at the end of each
| lease or at periods during the term, the
| government may secure the benefit OF
| sharing In the increased price or coal ana
| the additional profit made by the tenant
| BY imposing conditions in respect to the
| character of work to be done in the
mines, the government may control the
| character of the development of the
mines and the treatment of employees with
reference to safety BY denying the
| right to transfer the lease except by the
written permission of the governmental
| authorities. it may withhold the needed
| consent when 1t is proposed to transfer
| the leasehod to persons interested In es-
| tablishing a monopoly of coal production
| in any state or neghborhood. The change
| from the absolute grant 10 the leasing
| system will involve a good deal of
| trouble in the outset. and the training of
| experts in the matter of making proper
leases; but the change will be good
| one and can be made. The change Is In
| the interest of conservation, and l am
glad to approve it.
Alaska Coal Lands.
The investigation OF the geological sur
vey show that the coal properties in
| Alaska cover about 1900 5quare miles,
| and that there are known 20 be available
| an underestimate of the coal in Alaska,
| because further developments will prob
ably Increase this amount many times;
but we can say with considerable GER
| tainty that there are two fields on the
| Pacific slope which can be reached by
| railways at a reasonable cost from deep
water-in one case about fifty miles and
| in the other case of about l5O miles
which will afford certainly 6.0OO. 100000
| tons of coal, more than half of which is
| of a very high grade of bituminous and
| of anthracite. 1t Is estimated to be worth,
in the ground, one-half cent a ton,
which makes It's value per acre from $50
to $500 The cooking coal lands of Penn
| sylvana are worth from $500 to $1,000 an
acre, while other Appalachian fields are
worth from $40 to 1886 an acre. and the
fields in the central states from $40 to
81 900 an acre, and in the Rocky noun
tains so to $500 an acre. The demand for
coal on the Pacific coast Is for about
100000 tons a year. 1t would encounter
| the competition of cheap fuel oil, OF
which the equivalent of 12,O00,O00 tons of
coal year is used there. 1t is estimated
that the coal could be laid down at Sc
attic or San Francisco, a high-grade BIZ
luminous, at 81 a ton and anthracite at
S. or Sc a ton. The price of coal on the
Pacific slope varies greatly from time to
time In the year and from year to year
from 81 to S12 a ton. With regular coal
supply established the expert Of the
geological survey, Mr.. Brooks, who has
made a report on the subject. does not
think there would be an excessive profit
in the Alaska coal mining because the
price at which the coal could be sold
would be considerably lowered by compe-
tition from these fields and by the pres
ence of crude fuel Oil The history OF the
laws affecting the disposition of Alaska
coal lands shows them to need amend
ment badly.
On November IL, 1906 President Roose-
Welt issued an executive order with
drawing all coal lands from location and
entry in Alaska. On May 16 1907. he
modified the order so as to permit valid
locations made prior to the withdrawal
on November H. 1906, to proceed to entry
and patent. Prior to that date some 900
| claims had been filed. most OF them said
| to be illegal because either made fraudu-
| lently by dummy entrymen in the inter-
est of one individual or corporation, or
| because of agreements made prior to To-
cation between the applicants to cooperate
| in developing the lands. There are 80
| claims for 100 acres each. known as the
| Cunningham claims" which are claimed
| to be valid on the ground that they were