The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-09-05

with which the timber can be |
.ched.
Neglect Of Timber.
| The government timber in this coun.
~ amounts to only one-fourth Of all
he timber. the rest being in private
ownership. Only per cent Of that
which is in private ownership is look
d after properly and treated accord.
ing to modern rules Of forestry The
usual destructive waste and neglect
continue in the remainder of the for
rSts owned by private persons and COR
'orations.
1t Is estimated that fire alone de-
,troys $50,000,O00 worth of timber a
ear. The management of forests not
On public land is beyond the juris-
diction Of the federal government.
Ii anything can be done by law it
must be done by the state legislatures.
believe that It is within their con-
stitutional power to require the en-
forcement Of regulations in the gem
eral public interest as to fire and 9th
er causes Of waste in the management
OF forests owned by private individ-
uals and corporations.
| When President Roosevelt became
fully advised Of the necessity for the
change in our disposition OF public
Iands, especially those containing coal,
Oil, gas, phosphates or water power
sites, he began the exercise of the
power of withdrawal by executive or
der of lands subject by law to home
stead and the other methods of enter.
ing for agricultural lands.
The precedent he set in this mat
ter was followed by the present ad-
ministration. Doubt had been express
ed In some quarters as to the power in
the executive to make such withdraw
ais The confusion and injustice like
" to arise If the courts were to deny
the power led me to appeal to con-
gress to give the president the express
power. Congress has complied.
The law as passed does not express
" validate or confirm previous with
drawals. and therefore as soon as the
new law was passed l myself con-
firmed all the Withdrawals which had
therefore been MADE by both admin
istrations by making them over again.
This power of withdrawal Is a most
useful one, and l do not think 1t is
likely to be absurd.
Coal Lands.
The next subject and one most i'm
portant for our consideration is the
disposition Of the coal lands in the
United States and in Alaska. First as
to those in the United States At the
beginning Of this administration there
were classified coal lands amounting to
$4,000 acres, and there we've with
drawn from entry for purposes of
classification 17,S0700O acres. Since
that time there have been withdrawn
by my order from entry for classified
ton 77,G4s,O0o acres, making total
withdrawal Of 96 900 acres.
Meantime of the acres thus with
drawn 11,371,0oo have been classified
and found not to contain coal and have
been restored to agricultural entry, and
4,35e,000 acres have been classified as
coal lands, while T9,7sS,o0O acres re-
main withdrawn from entry and await
1
acres have been classified as coal lands
without rrior withdrawal. thus In
creasing the classified coal lands to
10,16S,OO0 acres.
The present congress. as already
said, has separated the surface of coal
lands, either classified or withdrawn
for classification, from the coal be-
meath, 50 as to permit at all times
homestead entries upon the surface
Of lands useful for agriculture and to
reserve the ownership in the coal to
the government.
TO Adopt New Methods.
The question which remains to be
considered is 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 adopt
ed.
Under the present law the absolute
title in the coal beneath the surface
passes to the grantee Of the govern
ment.
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
reasonable profit upon the amount
paid and the investment necessary.
But. OF course, this is more or less
guesswork, and the government parta
with the ownership of the coal in the
ground absolutely.
Authorities of the geological survey
estimate that in the United States to-
day there ia supply of about three
thousand billions OF tons OF coal and
that OF this one thousand billions are
In the public domain, OF course the
other 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 its leases
like those which are now imposed by
the owners in fee Of coal mines in the
various coal regions of the east then II
would retain over the disposition OF
the coal deposits a choice as TO the as
signee of the lease, power of resum-
ing possession at the end OF the term
Of the lease or OF read1ustiug terms at
fixed periods of the lease. which might
easily be framed 10 enable It to exer
else a limited but effective control in
the disposition and sale of the conl to