The Alaska citizen., 1914-06-15
PROPOSED LAWS
 F0R TERRITORY
 ARE DESCRIBED

some Ol lue leSlSldllOu lHdl IS Ue- ing planned in Washington for i Alaska is described in the following dispatch published recently in | Seattle newspapers:
 | WASHINGTON. That Alaska | legislation of great importance, aside from the government railroad mea- sure, will be enacted before the pres ent congress ends by limitation on March 4, 1915, is predicted by those who have followed proposed laws through their various preliminary stages.
 Secretary Franklin K. Lane of the interior department, backed by Presi- dent Wilson, has suggested a num- Der of measures for the considera- tion of the congress. and most of them have had the approval of the committees in charge.
 President Wilson announced at the beginning of his administration that
  ton that would develop Alaska. The first measure of importance that he wanted enacted was the government railroad bill After the tariff and the currency bills to which the President was first pledged, had been put through the house and senate, President Wilson gave the word, and the railroad law was enacted, and signed in the presence of a distin- guished company at the White House. Steps are now being taken to carry the law into effect.
 Next in importance, in the view of administration officials, is the enact ment of a law that will develop the coal lands of Alaska. To that end Secretary Lane recommended the en- actment of bill disposing of the coal by leasing system, and bills to carry out his recommendation have been reported in both the house and senate These bills are practically the same in substance, although not in letter. They provide for:
 Provisions of Bills.
 l. Reserving to the United States sufficient deposits for future govern mental activities.
 ?. Leasing the residue in small blocks with the power vested in the secretary of the interior to increase the amount to each lessee up to a fixed limit-2,5OO acres for coal lands, GAO acres for oil lands, 2,560 acres for potassium and other chem ical deposits, 2,650 for phosphate land-in his discretion.
 g. Retaining title to land in the United States and requiring a roy alty of not less than per cent on the gross output to be paid to the United States over 1nd above cer tain fixed rental charge.
 4. Requiring lessee to operate within a fixed time after granting of the lease and continue operations throughout the tenure of the lease, on pain of forfeiture.
 5. Prohibiting a lessee-corpor- ate or individual-from having an interest in more than one lease, or in any agency engaged in the resale of the product of his lease, and pro- viding a fine of s1.OOO and imprison- ment for three years for all parties to an agreement in violation of this prohibition.
 6. Leased tracts in no case to exceed in length more than two and one-half times the width.
 2. Vesting in the secretary of the interior broad powers of super vision to enforce continued opera tion of leased lands, to guard against monopoly, waste. unsafe methods and conditions of operations. and to pass on applications for renewal of leases.
 Secretary Lane himself drew up the Alaska leasing bill. It had the unanimous indorsement of the house committee on public lands. and in the senate of practically all the members of the lands committee.
 Alaskans who have been urging coal land legislation for the terri tory declare that the leasing plan will prove impracticable. but they