The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-09-21
WANTS TO OPEN
THE COAL LANDS
BY J. A. eREcKoNs.

Il
Interior Department on western coal
lands under the new per-ton basis, a
plan which contemplates the sale of
these lands at prices reaching as high
as $500 an acre, will actually prohibit
development, create a monopoly in the
mines now in operation, and thus ma
Iterially advance the price of coal to
| the consumer in a country having
millions of acres of coal lands our
national policy with regard to public
coal lands is made the subject of an
interesting discussion by Congress-
man Mondell of Wyoming, in a belat-
ed issue of the Congressional Record.
That the present policy must place
an added bruden on consumers Of
western coal, either by forcing them
to pay a greater price for it from op-
orators compelled to meet the gov
ernments demands in purchasing coal
lands, or from present operators vir.
tually given a monopoly of the bust
ness because of the prohibitive prices
confronting would-be operators in new
fields, and therefore presenting a COM
plete reversal of our government pol
icy, is the contention of the former
chairman of the committee on public
lands.
Mr. Mondell, in his recent letter to
Secretary Fisher on this subject, call
ed attention to the fact that this pol
icy of prohibitive coal land prices,
which proposes a grievous bruden on
the people and constitutes an entire
reversal of our governmental policy,
has never been approved by congress
or formally endorsed by any branch
of our government. 1t has simply
grown out of the activities of a single
bureau of the Interior Department,
he asserts. The net results of this
policy, Mr.. Mondell declares, has been
to absolutely prohibit the opening Of
new mines in the Roc. '''z''iii
gtou, and to increase the price Of coal
to the consumer from fifty cents 10
81 a ton. To prove the prohibition
now existing on western coal lands,
the total sales since 1907, when the
first classified lands were sold, are
quoted Two forty-acre tracts have
been sold at $3.50 per acre, and eighty
acres at $135 per acre, under this
policy, and these lands were essential
to the extension of developed mines.
Another tract was sold at SIS per
tacre, and these, with the exception of
forty-acre tract sold at S65 per acre,
constitute the entire acreage of coal
lands sold above $50 an acre.
1t is conceded that eventually some
of the coal lands now held at eXor-
bitant prices by the government will
be sold, at least to developed mines,
that must otherwise close down. But
the people will of necessity be COM
PEELED to pay an added price for the
coal taken from such mines. Herein
will be a material and physical DEM
onstration of a government fostering
and encouraging the very monopoly
it processes to oppose. Leaving out of
consideration the question of Alaskan
coal, Mr.. Mondell thus speaks of a
policy affecting our public land states
and territories:
81 have been favorable to the con
tinuation of the policy of the sale OF
coal land, not necessarily at the mini
mum prices fixed by law, but at sons
reasonable price high enough to pre-
vent the purchase of coal land fol
speculation or with a view of con
trolling coal fields, yet not so high as
to establish all the evils of monopoly
through governmental action. There
,are many arguments in favor of grad
ually disposing of public coal lands
under proper restrictions. 1t hal
been our almost invariable polio!
: since the foundation of this govern
ment, and our temporary departure
from the policy in the case of the lea
mines was disastrous.
Under this policy with regard t
coal lands, with perhaps a partial el
ception in the case of the anthracit
mines, there has been no combination
so far as l am informed, among Goa
operators to raise prices. If there hai
it has not been successful, for compC
tition has resulted in uniformly To-
prices for coal at the mines.
"The history of our marvellous d,
velopment under the stimulus of pr
vate ownership is a most forceful a
gument in favor of the continuatio
! of such a policy, while the counties
problems which will necessarily pr,
sent themselves, including conflict {
IGka