Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-06


orado and Wyoming. except by act OF con
gress. am informed by the Department
OF Agriculture that the government owns
other tracts Of timber land in these states
which should be included in the forest re-
serves. / expect to recommend TO con-
gress that the Limitation herein imposed
shall be repealed. In the present FOREST
reserves there are lands which are not
properly forest land and which ought to De
subject to homestead entry, This mas
caused some local irritation We are care
fully eliminating such lands from forest
reserves or where their elimination Is hot
practicable, listing them for entry under
the forest homestead act Congress ought
to trust the executive to use the power OF
reservation only with respect to land COW
cred by timber or which will be useful in
the plan OF reforestation.
Protection of Timber.
THE government timber in this country
amounts to only one-fourth of all the tim
Der, the rest being in private ownership
Only per cent of that which is In private
ownership is looked after properly ana
treated according to modern ruIes Oh -Aor-
estry. The usual destructive waste and
neglect continues in the remainder OF the
forests owned by private persons and cor
DOTAtiOnS IL Is ehllHlattu lhaN 49,
DESTROYS $50, 600 900 worth OF timber year.
The management of forests not on public
land is beyond the jurisdiction Of the led
eral government II anything can De done
by law 1t must be done by the state legiS-
latures
"When President Roosevelt became fully
advised Of the necessity for the change
In our disposition of public lands. especially
those containing coal oil, gas phosphates'
or water-power sites, he began the exercise
OF the power of withdrawal by executive
order, of lands subject by law TO horneste"n
and other methods OF entering Tor Sgrl-
cultural lands. The precedent he set IN TINS
matter was followed by the present so-
minIstration Doubt had been expressed In
some quarters as to the power In the exeou-
tive to make such wfthdrawals Inc con
fusion and injustice likely to arise II the
courts were to deny the power leo me 10
appeal 10 congress to give the presloenl
tho exprss power. Congress mas compiled
The law as passed doeR not expressly
validate or confirm previous Withdrawals.
and therefore az soon as the new law was
passed I myself confirmed all the with
drawals which had heretofore been made
nv. botfi administrations by making them
over again, This power OF withdrawal Is a
| most useful one, and do not think i IL.
likely to be abused,
sale of Coal LRndS.
The next subject, and one most impor-;
! tent for our consideration, is the DISPOSE
ton of the coal lands in the United States
and in Alaska First, as to those In the
United states. At the beginning of this ad-
| ninistration there were classified coal lands
amounting to 6,476.0O0 acres, and there were
withdrawn from entry for purposes OF
classification 1876, 900 acres. Since that
| time there have been withdrawn by my or
der from entry for classification 7I,He'VO
acres, making a total withdrawal Of 6'blo'-
! 900 acres Meantime, OF the acres thus
withdrawn, ll,S71,OOo have been classified
and found not to contain coal, and have
been restored to agricultural entry, and
| l. $50, 900 acres have been classified as coal
lands; while 7s,7sS,OOO acres remain with
drawn from entry and await classification
In addition SS6 600 acres have been classl-
fled as coal lands without prior withdrawal,
thus increasing the classified coal lands to
10, 5000 acres.
Under the laws providing for the dis
position of coal lands, the minimum price
at which lands are permitted to be sold Is
$40 an acre. but the secretary of the interior
has the power 10 fix a maximum price and
to sell at that price. BY the first regula-
tons governing appraisal, approved April
g. 1907, the minimum was $40, as provided
by law, and the maximum was 500, and the
highest price actually placed upon any
land sold was SIS. Under the new regulR-
lions, adopted April TO- 1909, the maximum
price was increased to $500. except In re-
gions where there are large mines, where
no maximum limit is fixed and the price
is determined by the estimated tons of coal
to the acre. The highest price fixed for
any land under this regulation has been
S60S. The appraised value of the lands
classified as coal lands and valued under
the new regulations is shown to be as fol-
lows: 4SO3e2l acres, valued under the old
regulation at $77,644,S29, an average OF SIS
an acre; and 5,s64702 acres classified and
valued under the new regulation at 1894,
242. OF total OF lo,l6s623 acres, valued
at f47l ,s47571.
For the year ending March 81, 1909 22I
coal entries were made embracing an area
OF 1881 acres, which sold for t66S, O2O 10, For
the year ending March 81, 1910, there were
l76 entries. embracing an area Of 2a,AS
acres, which sold for sos, slS and down to
August 1910 there we're but seventeen en-
tries. with an area OF i.7SO acres. which
sold for SIS, 1900, making a disposition OF
the coal lands in the last two years OF
about 6O.OoO acres for Sl,SO6,OOO.
Leasing system Considered.
The present congress. as already said
: has separated the surface OF coal lands
either classified or Withdrawn for classIti.
cation, from the coal beneath, so as TO per.
! nit at all times homestead entries upon the
surface OF lands useful for agriculture anC
, TO reserve the ownership in the coal e
the government. The question which re.
, mains TO be considered Is whether the ex.
isting law for the sale OF the coal In the
? ground should continue In force OF be re-
peaied and a new method OF disposi dor
adopted, Under the present law the abso-
lutte title In the coal beneath. the surfac,
> 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 sC
$ that the earnings will only be a reasonA biz
profit upon the amount PAID and the invest