Valdez daily prospector., 1916-03-27
HITCH 0N COAL
 LAND LEASES
FLATS HAVE NOT BEEN MADE
Survey of Herring River and Matanus- ka Fields Has Been Completed, but Field Notes Have Not Been Completed by Engineers.

The l0lFO DlVlSLOu IuIIleS LudL are included in .--, recently reorganized Kennecott Company, and the Chich- agOff Mine of the First Division have paid their 1916 taxes into the Terri Storial treasury under the provisions of the 1915 Territorial revenue law. These companles have already paid all taxes due under the laws of the 1913 statute without protest, and they
 have complied with the 1915 law in
 the same spirit.
 ! The miscellaneous receipts of the
 Territorial treasurer since January l.,
 have been $143,43O.OS. These are
 1916 taxes collected under the Ter
 ritorial revenue law of 1915. They do not include a great sum of can
 nery taxes, as these are being with
 fleld pending the decision of the Cir cult Court of Appeals on the appeal of the cannerymen from the decision of Judge Robert w. Jennings sus- taining the validity of the tax. It does include, however, $19,000 for 190 fish trap licenses. It also i'm cludes the funds received from in- surance companies and other miscel- laneous items.
 There is now in the treasury more than s20O,OOO, and this sum will be greatly increased if the Court of Ap- peals upholds the validity of the fish cries tax law.
 The following correspondence re- garding Alaska coal land leases ex- plains itself:
 Department of the Interior General Land Office Washington. February 23. '16. Hon T. J. Walsh,
 United States Senate.
 My Dear Senator: In response to your recent inquiry Dy telephone with respect to the matter of leases on lthe Alaska coal lands, under the AL aska coal-leasing Act of Oct. 20, 1914 II beg to advise that, as you recall. the act in question requires that the said lands be surveyed and laid out i'll leasing blocks; said act also au- thorizes the president to set aside certain areas as a reserve for govern ment use. Under the circumstances, therefore. the first thing to do under this act was to get the land surveyed. Consequently, necessary surveying parties went into each of the three principal coal fields, namely, Boring River, Matanuska, and Nenana, as early as weather conditions would permit last spring. The land survey ors were accompanied by topographic surveyors; and in two fields, the Mat anuska and Boring River, they were accompanied by coal-mining engin- eers. The field work was all complet- ed during the summer season. The preparation of the necessary plats and field notes is now going on at Juneau as rapidly as possible, and we expect to have them in hand here withthr to have them all in hand here within a few weeks. :.
 In the meantime the two cOal-min- ing engineers were given advance photographic copies of topographic sheets and survey plate. so that they could go ahead with the work of mak- ing up their reports and laying out blocks of land for leasing purposes. These two men are here at present, and have their reports practically all ready to present to the Secretary of the Interior.
 In the meantime, also, during the past summer, much attention was given by the different bureaus of this department to the matter of formu- latings satisfactory coal leases and regulations, all of which has been done 50 that immediately the field notes are received here from Juneau the department will be in position promptly to issue coal regulations and intormation for the leasing of coal lands in Alaska.
 You will recall that Section 10 of the coal leasing act calls for free use permits on small tracts for local consumption. Regulations and forms under this section were issued short ly after the act was passed, and en- close herewith copy: Adyices have reached this office of operations being conducted under such permits in 10 eases.
 From the above, you will note, that so far as the larger leasing operations are concerned, the department has not, up to date. been in a position to grant 8 lease on any Alaska coal