Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-01-11
Washington Bureau
of the Ottumwa Courier.
Washington, D. c. Jan. I. 1871

Washington, d. C. Jan. Z, 1910
The immense task Of making an
appraisal of the public domain, or
classifying its lands, determining theif
respective values and calculating
their content of the various minerals,
metals, forests and other resources for
which they are mainly valuable. is
making a progress which promises
within year or two to make COM
plete estimate of this empire possible.
Nobody is today willing to venture
guess at the marketable value of the
vast domain still owned by Uncle
Sam. But the figures will be available
in comparatively short time, ana
they will be startling, running with
out question far into the billions. In
stead of the public domain being we'll
nigh exhausted; instead of there be-
ing little left save the frozen tundras
of Alaska, the deserts of the southwest
and the mountain rocks of the con-
tinental apine. it will be shown that
there is still an arabic area which VIII
in time sustain millions, with mineral
forest and metal reserves to MAINTAIN
a tremendous industrial sys' m.
1t is now four years since President
Roosevelt set the geological survey ut
worl; on the beginning of this survey.
Considerable work, largely prelimin-
airy. was done the first year The sec
ond season its scope was much en-
larged and about 100000 was spent
on II. The third year still more was IN
! vested the expense running up 10
about $4,000 or $4,000, and large
number of scientific parties being kept
| in the field. The work of these three
| years was largely of general character
I because of the demand for haste. II
was desired especially to cover all tht
coal fields as soon as possible, anc
make the best possible estimate of the
value of all the deposits. Somewhat
crudely, therefore, they We're all clas'
sified and valued during this rather
| preliminary survey.
A year ago an entire reorganization
of the system was effected, with tn
view to going over the ground once
more and making a much more detail
cd and accurate classification and ap
praiSal new section was establish
ed in the Geological Survey, known a
the Land Classification Board. TN
was composed of general chairman
to serve with whom, on each partcula
subject, two men We're assigned; as
coal lands, oil and gas lands, phos
phate lands. precious metals, and non
irrigable lands available under tn
enlarged homestead law. With the re
organization the more detailed and re
fined investigation was pressed, an
during 1900, while a much less extend
ed area has been covered. the Wor
has been more closely and accuratel
done and the results are correspond
ingly more valuable.
Under the old project of valuing Goa
lands. for instance, the maximum fig
ure that could be set on coal areas c
the public domain was 500 per acr'
There are areas in Wyoming of sue
tremendous value that this figur
would be as postage stamp plastere
, on a stack of government bonds. Th
new valuation therefore contemplate
maximum valuation of 5000 and S3C
!, per acre. Under this close scrutin
l about one fourth of the coal lands I
the public area have already been re
valued and classified. and their Walt
alton has been increased about thre