Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-03
TAFT FAVORS u. S.
t., ROAD IN ALASKA
Continued From Page ID

| Continued From Page -
opoly of absolute ownership in private
| persons or companies would make
possible. ... ....
! The message in full is as follows:
| To the Senate and House of Repre-
/ sentnt.veS:
! There is no branch Of the federas
! Jurisdiction which calls more imperi.
! lively for Immediate legislation than
| that whi~h concerns the public domain
! and especially the part Of that domain
which is in Alaska The report of the
secretary Of the interior. which is
transmitted herewith. and the report
to him OF tina governor Of Alaska &c:
out the public. need in this regard with
great force and in satisfactory detail!
The progress under the ,reclamatiun
act HIS made clear the defects OF its
limitations which should be remcdicd
The rules governing the acquisition a?
-homesteads Of land that is not arid CT
semiaria are not well adapted to tile
perfecting of title to Lanai made arabic
by government reclamation work.
I concur with the secretary of the
interior in bis recommendation that,
after entry Is made upon land being
reclaimed. actual occupation us Il home
stead Of the same be not required I'M
til two years after entry, but that Gull
tivation of the same shall be required
and that the present provision under
which the land is to be paid for in ten
annual insta lIments shall be SO modi-
fed as to allow patent to issue for
the land at the end Of five years. cul-
tivation and three years occupation,
with reservation Of government
lien for the amount Of the unpaid pur-
chase money. This leniencyI to the
reclamation homesteader will relieve
him from occupa ton at time when
the condition Of the land makes It most
burdensome and difficult and at the
end of FIVE years will furnish him with
title upon which he can borrow
money and continue the Improvement
Of his holding. ft.
also concur in the recommendation
Of the secretary Of the interior that
all Of our public domain should be
classified and that each class should
be disposed of or administered in tho
manner most appropriate to that par
ticular class.
The chief change however, which
ought to be made and which have al
rendy recommended ip previous mes
sages and communications to congress
Is that by which government coal land
and phosphate and other mineral lands
containing nonmetalllferous minerals
shall be leased by the government, with
restrictions rs to size and time, re-
sembling those which now obtain
throughout the country between the
owners in fec and the lessees who work
sthe mines end in leases like those
which have been most successful In
Australia. New Zealand and Nova SEQ
tia. The showing made by investga-
lions into the successful working Of
the leasing system leaves no doubt as
to it's wisdom and practical utility. Re
1uirements as to the working Of the
mine during the term may be so fram-
ed as to prevent any holding Of large
mining properties merely for specula-
ton. while the royalties may be made
sufficiently low not unduly to increase
the cost Of the coal mined and at the
soror %to,o ,,,fpoiov,k n fupnioh ran !.
sonable income for the use Of the pub
lie in the community where the mining
goes on In Alaska there 10 no reason
why 4 substantial income should not
thus be raised for such public works
as may be deemed necessary or useful.
There is no difference between the
reasons which call for the application
Of the leasing system to the coal lands
still retained by the government In the
United States proper and those which
exist In Alaska. r-
There are now in. Alaska only two
well known high grade coal fields OF
large extent. the Bering river coal field
and the Matanuska coal field. The
Bering river coal field, while It has
varying qualities Of coal from the b.
luminous TO the anthracite, Il very
much lessened in value and usefulness
by the grinding effect to which In geo.
logical ages past the coal measures
have been subjected, so that tho coal
does not lie or cannot be mined in large
humps 1t must be taken out In almost
powdered condition. The same diff
Guilty does not appear to the same ex-
tent in the Matanuska coal fields. The
Bering river coal fields are only TWEEN
ty-fye miles from the coast. They arc
within easy distance Of an existing
railroad built by the Morgan Guggen-
helm interests and may also be reach
ed through Controller bay by the con-
struction Of other and competing rail
roads. '
i CBAS. 7. SULLIVAN