The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1912-04-11
OUR WEALTH
IS CONSERVED
Uncle Sam Protects His Chill.
dren from the Omniver-
Gus Corporations.

Uucle Sam is still the largest
owner of coal lands, oil lands,
phosphate lands, and water-power
sites in the United States, hold
ing the title to an area of such
lands aggregating more than nine.
ty million acres. In 1906 the
government began the policy of
Withdrawing from the public en-
try all lands underlain by coal,
and since that time it has made a
great many Withdrawals includ-
ing not only coal but also the
other resources mentioned. This
action has been taken pending in
vestlgation of these resources by
the United States Geological Sur
vey, an investigation which Ill
the case of coal lands is followed
by their classification, appraisal,
and restoration to entry. Lands
OF the OTHER classes remain with
urawn pending proposed legisla-
ton by congress, which shall pro-
vide for their proper development.
In April, 1909, was put into
force the present comprehensive
scheme of coal land classification
under which each 40-acre tract of
coal land is classified and valued
according to the tonnage and
quality of its coal and then re-
stored to sale. The prices of coal
land range all the way from the
minimum of $40 or $40 an acre,
according to whether the land is
situated within or without the 15-
mile limit from railroad, for
lands containing Ignite, the low
est grade coal, To more than $4OO
an acre for land underlain by
thick beds of highgrade bitumin-
Gus coal.
Three-Quarters of Billion Dol
lars in Coal.
In the last three years, to Mar.
l, 1912, the Geological Survey
has classified and appraised as
coal land 16,500,58O acres. with
a total valuation of $712,32S, sol.
AT the minimum price at which
such lands were formerly sold this
acreage would represent but 1867,
o5,O75, the difference under the
new plan thus approaching half
billion dollars of eventual addi-
tlonal income to the government
from its public lands as a result
OF adopting the policy Of classifi-
cation. Coal-land Withdrawals
are still outstanding to the extent
of 90, 100000 acres and these lands
are being classified by the Geo
logical Survey as rapidly as posi-
BILE, the rate approximating 10000
600 acres year. The work involv
ed in the classification of these
coal fields of the nation is enor-
nous, and while there is some
of such conservation of
a national resource, perhaps the
best evidence of the sOundness
OF the policy lies in the ready ac-
ceptance of the tonnage estimates
and valuations by purchasers of
coal land, the increasing amount
Of coal land thus purchased, and
the fact that the Geological Sur
vey is constantly receiving re-
quests that certain coal tracts be
classified. Although $400 or even
$500 an acre may be asserted by
'peculators to be a prohibitive
)rice, compared with the rate un-
Ter the governments former
give-away' policy, still when the
present price is reduced to the
onnage rate of ! cent, half a !
'ent, or less per ton it is seen to !
'e very moderate. Some of the /
Western coal beds run as high as
1900 tons or more of recoverable
oal to the acre. A single 40-acre
ract, for example, in a Montana
withdrawal recently made, con-
aims over two and half mil
ion tons of coal.
rejection of the Public Petroleum
Deposits.
Another public-land feul re-
ource in the proper development
t which Uncle Sam is taking an
ctive interest is petroleum. Seven
r eight of the public-land states
ontain extensive oil deposits and
4 many localities the oil is asso-
lated with natural gas. Large
reas of the western oil fields
ave been geologically examined,
nd Withdrawals of oil land in