The Prescott daily news., 1910-09-06
respect to oiT applies also to g gas lands.
 Phosphate Lands.

1 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, we'll as l 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 there were 100000 acres withdrawn from agricultural entry | in the ground that the land covered phos- phate rock Since that time, 2,322.000 acres l of the land thus withdrawn was found | not to contain phosphate In profitable | quantities. while 167S,000 acres was classi- | fed properly as phosphate lands During l this administration there has been with drawn and classified 437, 900 acres, so that | todaN there is classified as phosphate rock | land 2.115 GOO acres. This rock is most | important in the composition of fertilizers | to improve the soil, and the future is l 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 tainlv with respect to these deposits careful policy of conservation should be followed. A law that would provide | leasing system for the phosphate depos- it's together with a 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 nrcmoting the development of these de- | posts and their utilization in the agri- cultural lands of the west. If it fs : thought desirable to discourage the eXpor- ! tation of phosphate rock and the saving | of 1t for own lands, this purpose could be accomplished by conditions in i the lease granted by the government to | he l. | tuition the government could not tax and could not prohibit the exportation of | phosphate, but proprietor and owner ] of the lands in which the phosphate is
 deposited it could impose conditions upon | the kind of sales, whether foreign or do- | mestic. which the lessees might make of
 the phosp'nlte mined.
 Water-Power Sites
 Prior to March 4 1909. there had been,
 on the recommendation of the reclama-
 ton service, withdrawn from agricultural
 entry. because they were regarded as
 useful for water-power sites which ought
 not Co be disposed of as agricultural lands.
 tracts amounting to about four million
 acrCs. The withdrawals were hastily
 rigde and included a great deal of land that was not useful for power sites. They were intended to include the power
 sites on g rivers in Sine states. Since that ti-ne s475i4a acres have been re- stored for settlement of the original four million. because they do not contain pow CT sites: and meantime there have been newly withdrawn 12i5. S92 acres on vacant public land and 211.007 acres on entered
 public land, a total of l4o6,S99 acres
 These withdrawals made from time to
 time cover all the power sites included
 in the first withdrawals, and many more
 on lS5 rivers and in il states. The dlspo-
 sition of these power sites involves one
 of the most difficult questions presented
 in carrying out practical conserya1ion' -
 arguments Against Idea.
 On the other hand, it is contended that
 it would relieve complicated situation
 if the control of the water power site and the control of the water were vested
 in the same sovereignty and ownership,
 viz. the states and then were disposed
 of for development to private lessees un-
 der the restrictions needed to preserve
 the interests of the public from the extor-
 tions and abuses of monopoly Therefore, { bills have been introduced in congress
 providing that whenever the state au-
 thorties deem water power useful they
 may apply to the government of the
 United States for grant to the state | of the adj djacent land for a water-power
 site, and that this grant from the fed
 eral government to the state shall con
 tain a condition that the state shall
 never part with the title to the water
 power site or the water power but shall
 lease 1t only for term of years not ex-
 ceeding fifty, with provisions in the | lease by which the rental and the rates
 for which the power is furnished to the
 public shall be readjusted at periods less
 than the term of the lease. say, every ten | years. The argument is urged against
 this disposition of power sites that legis- | lators and state authorities are more sub
 ject to corporate influence and control
 than would be the central government; In
 reply 1t is claimed that readjustment
 of the terms of leasehold every ten years
 would secure to the public and the state
 just and equitable terms.
 do not express an opinion upon the
 controversy thus made or a preference as to the two methods of treating water
 power sites. I shall submit the matter to
 congress and urge that one or the other
 of the two plans be adopted
 have referred to the course of the last administration and of the present one in making withdrawals of government lands from entry under homestead and other laws and of congre IS in removing all doubt as to the validity of these with drawals as a great step in the direction of practical conservation. But 1t is only
 one of two necessary steps to effect what
 should be our purpose. It has produced status quo and prevented waste and IT, revocable disposition of the lands until the method for their proper disposition can be formulated. But it is of the ut most importance that such withdrawals should not be regarded as the final step | in the course of conservation, and that the idea should not be allowed to spread that conservation is the tying up of the , natural resources of the government for indefinite withholding from and tho
 remission to remote generations to decide what ought to be done with these means | of promoting present general human osm-