Iditarod pioneer., 1915-01-23
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs
COAL LANDS LEASING ACT
 AS PASSED BY CONGRESS

The Alaska coal lands leasing law, as re- gently passed by congress and signed by the President on October 20 last, Is as fol lows:
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United states or | America, in Congress assembled: That the | secretary of the interior be and hereby Is authorized and directed to survey the lands | of the United states in the Territory Ol | Alaska known to be valuable for thelr de
 positS of coal preference to be gwen tlFsl | in favor of surveying lands within those areas known as the BermE river, Matanu&ka and Ncnana coal fields, and thereafter to
 such areas or coal fields as lie tributary to | established settlements or existing or pro posed rail or water transportation lnes Provided. That such surveys shall be exc Cuted in accordance with existing laws and rules and regulatlOnS governing the survey of public lands. There Is hereby dpprOprl- atcd cut Of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated the sum of StOO,- UOO fer the purpose of making the surveys | herein provided for, to continue aFallaDlt until expended: Provided, That any sur | vrys heretofore made under the authority i or by the approval of the department Of the interior may be adopted and used TOT | the purposes of this act.
 l sec , That the President of the United ! States shall designate and reserve from use, | location, sale, lease or disposition not eX- | Ceodng 5,12U acres Of coal bearing land ln | tine BeFing river field and not exceeding | 7,GS0 acres of coal bearing land In the l Matanuska field, and not to exceed one-haiI 1 Of the other coal lands in Alaska: Provided, | That the coal deposits in such reserved | area may be mined under the direction Of 1 the President when in his opinion, the nm | ing of such coal Tn such reserved areas 1 under the direction of the President be 1 comes necessary, by reason of an mSuli- l cicnt supply of coal at d reasonable price l for the requirements of government works, ! construction and operation of government pJi ilp41hS ndllHIdI lection. or for relief from monopoly or op- | preSSlVe conditions.
 sec. 3, That the unreseryed coal iands | and coal deposits shall be divided by the | secretary of the interfere into leasing blocks or tracts of forty acres each, or mul- i upleS thereof, and in such form as m the l opinion of the secretary will permit the most economical mining of the coal m | such blocks, but in no ease exceeding J, ,36Q acres in any one leasing block or tract; ana | thereafter the secretary shall offer such 1 blocks or tracts and the coal, hgnlte and 1 associated minerals therein for leasing. ana may award leases thereon through adVer- ! tiSemcnt, competitive bidding or Sucn olhef l methods as he may by general regulations | adopt to any person above the age Of , i . years who S a citizen of the United states 1 Or tu any aSSOClaIGR of SUcn persons, or to any corporation or mumclpaiity, organ | Zcd under the laws of the united states 1 CT of any state or territory thereOI: Pro
 yided That a maority Of the stock of such 1 cooperation shall at all "FmeS be owned and
 
 | provided further, That no railroad or com 1 mon carrier shall be permitted to take or 1 acquire. through least or permit, under thlS act any Coal or coal lands in excess Of such 1 area or quantity as may be required and 1 used solely for it's own use, and Such HWl- tation of use shall be cNpreSSd in all leases or permits issued to railroads or common carriers hereunder: And provided further, | That any person. association or corporation uuainpd to become a lessee under this act and owning any pending claim under the public lands laws to any coal iandS III
 Alaska may, within one year from the pas l sage Of this act, enter into an arrangement with the secretary of the interior by which such claim shall be fully reltnQuishcd to the United States; and if in the Judgment or | the secretary of the interior the circum- ! stances connected With such claim juStlty
 so doing, the moneys paid by the clalm- ants to the United States on account of | such claim shall, by direction of the seCre-
 tary of the interior, be returned ana patd
 over to such person, association or corpora
 ton as q consideration for such rellnqulSh- | ment.
 All claims Of existing rights to any of
 such lands in which final proof has been
 submitted and which are now pending be,
 fore the commissioner of the general land
 oftCe or the secretary or the interior Tor decision shall be adjudicated within ono year from the passage Of this act. - (F Sec. i. That person, associatlon or 1 CCrpOratiOn holding a lease or coal lands under this act may, with the appr0Vai or
 the secretary of the interior and through
 the same procedure and upon the same 1 terms and conditions as in the case of an original lease under this act, secure d fur ther or new lease, covering additional lands contiguous to those embraced Tn the orlgl-
 I'll lese, but in no event shall the total area embraced in such original and new leases
 exceed in the aggregate 2,36O acres.
 That upon satisfactory showing by any
 lessee to the secretary of the interior that
 that all of the workable deposits or coal
 within tract covered by his or it's lease
 will be exhausted, worked out or removed
 within three years thereafter, the secre-
 tary Of the interior may, within his dis.
 CretlOn, lease to such lessee dN additional
 tract of land or coal deposits, which, ln- cluding the coal area remaining in the orlgl- t.nal lease, shall not exceed 2.560 acres I 'thrOugh the same procedure and under the
 an original lease
 Sec. ,. That. subject to the approval oi the secretary Of the Interior, lessee5 hold ing under leases small blocks or areas may 1 consolidate their said leases or holdings SC
 as to include in q single holding not 10 eX- l Ceed 2,560 acres of contiguous lands. Sec. 5. That each lease shall be Tor Sucr leasing block or tract Of land as may Dc offered CT applied fOr not exceeding m ares 1 2,560 acres Of land, 10 be described b5 1 the subdivisions of the survey, and no per. 1 son, association or corporation, eXcept as l hereinarter provided, shall De permitted tt l take or hold any interest as q stockholde1 1 or otherwise ln more than one such least
 under this act, and any interest held 1T . violation Of this provIsO shall be forfeited
 to the United States by appropriate pro ceedings instituted by the attorney genera 5 for that purpose in any court of conlpe- 5 tent Jurisdiction, except that any such own
 ershlp and interest hereby torDldden Wnlcf 5 may be acquired by descent, will, ludgmen or decree may be held for two years, ant
 not longer after it's acQulsltlon-
 l Sec '. That any person who snail p1lr 1 chase, acquire or hold any interest in tw1
 or more such leases, except as herein pro vided, or who shall knowingly purchase
 acpllle or bclc any 5tocK in corporaLo!