Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-09-09

I area OF %. 413 acres. which sold for $685.
sI3; and down to August, 1910 there were
but II entries, with an area of Ito acres.
which sold for $50, $40 60. making dispo-
sition of the coal lands in the last two
years OF about &C, 900 acres for N,3oo,O oo
The present congress. as already SAID
has separated the surface or coal Iahos'
either classified or withdrawn for classi-
ication from the coal beneath, SO as 10
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 IS
whether the existing law for the sale or
the coal in the ground should continue
in force or be repealed and new methoo
Of disposition adopted. Under the present
law the absolute title in the coal De-
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 IL a 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 9TH
| er 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. If 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 choice as 10 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 SAFE 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 ana
| opening up Of the coal resources ven
| ture to differ entirely from this view.
| The question to how great an area
| ought to be included In 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
f, would not be too great a 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 beneht OF
| sharing in the increased price of coal and
| the additional profit made by the tenant.
| BY imposing conditions in respect to the
| character of work to be done In 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. II may withhold the needed
| consent when II is proposed to transfer
| the leasehold to persons Interested in es-
| tablishing a monopoly Of coal production
| in any state or neighborhood. The change
| from the absolute grant to the leasing
| system will involve good deal of
| trouble in the outset. and the training of
| experts in the matter Of making proper
leases; but the change will be a good
| one and can be made. The change is In
the interest Of conservation, and I am
glad to approve 1t.
| Alaska Coal Lands.
The investigation Of the geological sur
vey show that the coal properties in
Alaska cover about 100 Square miles,
| and that there are known 20 be available
about Is, 900 600, 900 tons. This is, however,
| 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 80 miles
which will afford certainly 5000 200. 900
| 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 a cent a ton,
| which makes its value per acre from $50
| to $500. The coking-coal lands Of Penn
| sylvania 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 SO to
| 5000 an acre. and in the Rocky noun
tains SO to $500 an acre. The demand for
| coal on the Pacific coast is for about
600 tons year. 1t would encounter
the competition Of cheap fuel oil, of
| which the equivalent of 100000 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 IS 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 Sl2 n ton. With a 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 y, 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 10. 1906. to proceed to entry
and patent. Prior to that date some go
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 betweent the applicants to cooperate
in developing the lands. There are 35
claims for 1eo acres each. known as the
Cunningham claims" which are claimed
to be valid on the ground that they were
made by an attorney for SO different
and bona fide claimants who, as
alleged. paid their money and took the
proper steps to locate their entries and
protect them. The representatives of the
government in the hearings before the
land office have attacked the validity of
these Cunningham claims on the ground