Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-20


some OF these cases the applicant Was non
est and actually unaware Of the fact that
coal was under his land, Just as the farm
ers Of Illinois found themselves owners OF
coal mines after living a century on their
homesteads tina they had gotten from the
government In just this way. II quite often
happens that a bed Of coal may underlie a
plain twenty miles across and at no place
appear at the surface. The edges Of the
plain being cut by canyons will. however,
reveal seams OF coal. Biologists or coal
operators seeing this become aware that
there Is a great bed of coal under the plain.
The latter are likely to induce dummies to
file on the land. advance ,nem the neces-
sary money to procure patents, take mort
cages on the land. and foreelose as soon
as the title is obtained. In this way tire
whole plain goes into the hands OF the
big operator.
one seasons Work.
In the six months between April and Oc-
tober last, for instance. the government
agents classified 1S,OOO,OO0 acres OF land.
Under the old flat price II paid for and
obtained without fraud this land would
have brought 81. 900, 900. but under the new
classification It will bring S14i. 10000. This
means that the government will realize a
profit OF $4,000 900 from the work Of its
classification squad for a single six months
aside from the money saved through frauds
prevented and the benefit Of a more just
distribution Of it's land. Under the esti-
mate OF 80, 100000 acres of land the old mini
mum price Of $40 an acre would have
brought $500, 900, 900. Under the new schedule
where the land is priced in proportion to
the amount OF coal it contains it will aver
age 500 an acre and will bring a,SOo,OOO.OOo.
a net profit Of four billion dollars, which
Is an amount of money so big as to be be-
yond the comprehension OF man.
So far there have been classified 100000
acres OF coal lands. The work Is being
actively pushed in wyoming, Colorado,
Utah and Montana. in all Of which states
there are extensive deposits. These states
are to be completed first because coal oper-
atoms are most active there. As soon as
classified the lands are put back on the
market and, strange to say, they sell more
rapidly at the advance price than they did
at those that formerly prevailed. There Is
the opinion Of the government biologists
that certain given amounts OF coal are con-
tanned and many claims are bought on this
claim alone.
Present day developments of the classl-
fication idea shows very plainly the loss
that the government has sustained In the
past through lack OF IL and the monopo-
listic tendencies that have developed. In
coal lands alone, for Instance, the gov
eminent has disposed of 100000 acres In
the west. Practically no return has been
received and the lands are owned by large
corporations. The mass of 1t was given in
grants to railroad companies that built
across the great plains. There was no APP
probation on the part of the government
of the value OF the land given away in this
manner. Much of the remainder was fraud
ulently obtained and the government is
now fighting to recover coal lands value
at $50,OOO,O00 in a single state, quite natur-
ally the best lands were taken first. They
must nave been of great value for that
which was picked over and remains is be-
ing classified as being worth $50 an acre on
the low ~aluation of the government Eve
this price would place its value at s., AGO.
10000, which might nave been saved had
the work been begun at a sufficiently early
date. But the greater benefit would, OF
course. have resulted In placing the land
properly in the hands Of the people through
preventing fraud.-rechnicai World Maya
zine.