The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-12-06

II bats zen - TED ara j bel eye
ne "a n foii % te 614lt one, l5 "a
iiier1iifS be- Issued n 4 prcape ctoE ho 1Ss
81 giving him the right 10 Prospe tor
Two years over certain TRACT Of gov
eminent land for the g lscoyerT of Oil
the right 70 he evidenced st,Y 2 LICENSE
for which he pays a small sum. When
tlle oll X discovered, then he ,aeq'1lEess
little 20 a certain tract. much IN tne
same way as he would acquire tlt4e
Tirder. mint1G mw. OF course Is the
system OF leasing = adopted then ne
would be given the benefit OF 2 tease
upon terms like that above suggeste,e:
what has been said in respect to OIL
applies also to government gas ianels.
finder the propo5ed oil legislation.
especially where the EoEernn it OF y
lands embrace an entire on held, as In
many cases. T1rospectorS, operators. cor
SINNERS and the public can be bene-
fited by the adoption OF the leasing
system The prospector can be pro-
fected in the very expensive work thar
necessarily antedates discovery, the op-
orator can be protected against Impair
mont of the productiveness OF the Wells
which he has leased by reason OF con-
troll of drilling and pumping OF other
wells too closely adjacent or by the
nreyention of improper methods rs EN-
nloyed by careless, Ignorant or IRE
sponsible operators in the same heid
which result IN the admission OF water
TO the oil sands, while. of course, the
consumer viii profit by whatever ben
Gifts the prospector or operator receives
in reducing the first cost of the OIL
Phosphate Lands.
Phosphorus is one Of the three essen
+ioIs to plant growth, the other ele-
ments being nitrogen and potash or
these three, phosphorus is by all odds
the scarcest element ia nature. 1t 1S
easily, extract in useful form from
the phosphate rock, and the untted
states contains the greatest known De
,posits Of this rock in the world. They
are found in Wyoming Utah, ldahO
and Florida. as we'll as In South Caro-
lima, Georgia and Tennessee The gov
,.rnlnent phosphate lands are confined
ia wyoming. Utah, Idaho and Florida.
Prior 10 March 4, 1909. there were
4 .446. 29S acres withdrn wn from ngricrl-
turaI entry on the ground that the
land covered phosphate rock Since
that time 2,360.TIG acres of the land
thus vithdra yvn were found not to con
tain phosphate IN protita BILE quantities.
while 1,GTS,OOO acres were CLASSIFIED
properly as phosphate lands.
During this administration there have
been wIthdra wn and classified i3I.6F3
acres. so that today there are classi-
fed as phosphate rock land 2,0l4,191
acres. This rock is most important In
the composition OF fertilizers to I'M
prove the soil. and as the future ~
certain to create an enormous demand
throughout this country for fertlttza-
ton the value to the public OF sueh
deposits as these can hardly be e1aS-
:serated.
Certainly with respect to these de-
posits a careful policy OF conservation
should be followed Half of the phos-
plate of the rock that is mined tn prt-
vate fields in the United States is now
exported. AS our farming methods
grow better the demand fer the phos-
lphate will become greater, and 1t must
he arranged so that the supply shall
equal the needs of the country. 1t is
uncertain whether the placer or lode
law applies to the government phos-
phate rock There is, therefore, neces-
sity for some definite and well consid-
cred legislation on this subject, and In
cid OF such Legislation all of the gov
crnment lands known to contain val
liable phosphate rock are now with
drawn from entry.
A law that would provide leasing
system for the phosphate deposits, to-
ssether with n 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 promoting the development OF
these deposits and their utilization in
the agricultural lands Of the west IT
it is thought desirable TO discourage
the expectation of phosphate rock and
he saving OF it for our own lands this
purpose could be accomplished by con
tIitions in the lease Ernnted by the gov
crnment to its Iessces.
or course under the constitution the
government could not tax and could
not prohibit the exploration of Phos-
phate, but as proprietor and owner OF
the lands in which the phosphate is
deposited 1t could impose conditions
upon the kind of sales, whether for
ciSn or domestic. which the lessees
might make OF the phosphate mined.
The tonnage represented by the
phosphate lands in government owner
ship is very great, but the lesson has
been learned in the case of such lands
that have passed into private owner
ship in South Carolina. Florida and
Tennessee that the phosphate deposits
there nre in no sense incxhnustible-
Moreover, it is Also we'll understood
that In the process OF mining phos-
phate MS 1t Inns been pursued much Of