El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-12-06
THE MESSAGE OF
TAFT TO, CONGRESS
CONTINUED from Page y

these countries the method for the dis
position and opening of coal mines
originally owned by the government is
by granting leasehold. and not by
granting an absolute title. AS one-third
of all the coal supply is held by the
government, it seems wise that IT
should retain such control over the
mining and the sale as the relation OF
lessor to lessee furnishes.
Oil and Gas Lands.
The form of all existing Withdrawals
was changed, and new Withdrawals ag-
gregating 2,75O0O0 acres were made
in Arizona, California, Colorado, New
Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Other
Withdrawals of public oil lands in these
states were made, so that November Is,
1910. the OF tstanding Withdrawals then
amounted to 1864, 900 acres
The needed oil and gas law is es-
sentially a leasing law In their nat
ural occurrence oil and gas can not be
measured in terms of acres, like coal.
and il follows that exclusive title to
these products can normally be secured
only after they reach the surface. Oil
should be disposed of as a commodity
in terms Of barrels of transportable
product rather than IN acres of real
estate This is of course, the reason
for the practically universal adoption
of the leasing system wherever oil land
is in private ownership The govern
ment thus would not be entering on an
experiment, but simply putting into ef-
feet plan successfully operated in pri-
vate contracts. Why should not the
government as a landowner deal d.
rectly with the oil producer rather than
through the Intervention of a middle
man, to whom the government gives
title to the land?
Phosphate Lands.
Phosphorus is one of the three es-
sentfals TO plant growth, the other eIe-
rnents being nitrogen and potash or
these three, phosphorus is by all ODDS
the scarcest element in nature. 1t IS
easily extracted in useful form from
the phosphate rock, and the United 1
States contains the greatest known de- 1
posits of this rock in the world. They /
are found in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho ana |
Florida. as wen as in South Carolina, 1
Georgia and Tennessee. Today there
are classified and withdrawn as phos-
phate rock land 2,514,195 acres. Hail |
of the phosphate of the rock that is /
mined in private fields IN the United /
States is now exported AS our farm
ing methods grow better the demand
for the phosphate will become greater.
and il must be arranged so that the
supply shall equal the needs OF the
country. A law that would provide
leasing system for the phosphate de-
posits, together with a provision Tor
the separation of the surface and min
eral rights as is already provided for
IN the case of coal, would seem to meet
+he need of promoting the develop
ment of these deposits and their ut1l1-
cation in the agricultural lands OF the
west.
water-P0wer Sites. i
The disposition of power sites IN
wolves one of the most difficult Ques-
tons presented in carrying out pracu-
cal conservation. The 1orest service
under a mower found in the statute.
has leased a number of these power
sites in forest reserves by revocable
leases but no such power exists with
respect to power sites that are not 10
Gated within forest reserves, and the
revocable system of leasing is, OF
course. not a satisfactory one for the
purpose of inviting the capital needed
to put in proper plants for the trans
MIA tion of power. Capital is slow to
invest in an enterprise Iounoeo Oh
permit revocable at will
The subject is one that calls for new
1t is the plain duty OF
the government to see to 1t That IN the
utilization and development of all this
immense amount of water power, con-
5itions shall be imposed that VIII pre-
vent extortionate charges, wnlch are
the usual accompaniment of monopoly
If is proposed that the government
in dealing with its own lands should
nse its advantage and lease lands for
power sites to those who would deveI-
IN the mower. and impose conditions on
the leasehold with reference to the !
of the rates at which
the power, when transmitted, is to be
furnished to the public, and preventing1 ;
o1r- nv orb Id in
assignment of the lease save with con-
sent of the government
States Rights Do Not Apply.
Serious difficulties are anticipated by
some in such an attempt on the part of
the general government, because of the
sovereign control of the state over the
water power in its natural condition,
ind the mere proprietorship of the |
government in the riparian lands. It
8 contended that through its mere pro-
,rietary right N the site, the central {
has no power to attempt to ;
exercise police jurisdiction with refer ;
,nce to how the water power in a river (
owned and controlled by the state shall ,
,e used, and that it is q violation Of
he states rights 1 question the valid I
fy of this objection
The question of conservation is not
PARTISAN one, and I sincerely hope that ,
wen in the short time of the present
session consideration may be given to
hose questions which have now been $
nuch discussed, and that action may be
aiken upon them.
National Parks.
Our national parks have become so I
extensive and involve so much detail of
.ction in their control that it seems to 4
ne there ought to be legislation Great
ng a bureau for their care and control.
The greatest natural wonder of this
country and the surrounding territory l.
hould be included in another national !
ark 1 refer to the Grand Canyon of
he Colorado.
Bureau of Health.
In my message of last year / recon-
nended the creation of a bureau of |
ealth. in which should be embraced | :
IL those government agencies outside
f the war and navy departments which : :
re now directed toward the preserva-
ion of public health or exercise func-
ions germane to that subject. 1 renew
his recommendation. 1 greatly regret
hat the agitation in favor Of this bu-
eau has aroused q counteragitation
gainst its creation. on the ground that
HI s=Iv onT7f Of oh hTTr &c