The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-04
SENATE PASSES
0ILLEASE BILL
Final Vote Comes Late at
Night After Twelve Hour
Session.
TWO AMENDMENTS MADE
One Seeks to Complete the
Dissolution of Standard
Combine.
TWO AMENDMENTS MADE

WASHINGTON, Sept, -3.--Without a
record vote, the Senate tonight, after
a twelve hour session, passed the bill
to make possible the leasing of public
lands having deposits of oil, coal, gas,
phosphate and sodium.
In passing the measure the Senate
| approved amendments offered by Sen
ator Harris, Democrat (Ga-), which
would provide that under the Clayton
ANTITRUST act oil companies may not
charge different prices in various parts
! of the country.
Another amendment. which its author
| Senator Harris, said would cause the
constituent companies of the Standard
FOu Company soon to become indepen-
dent in ownership in fact as well as In
name, was adopted. This amendment
would prohibit stockholders Of corpora
tions producing petroleum and Its by
products from acquiring stock In another
corporation similarly engaged II both
| corporations have been created In con-
formance with a court dissolution de-
/
ecution under antitrust acts.
With the exception Of the Harris
amendments, the fate of which is I'M
certain in the House, the leasing mea-
sure as to important features was passed
as reported by the Public Lands Com
mttee.
Consideration OF the bill was marked
by bitter debate during which Senator
| La Folrette (Wis), who in the last six
| days has spoken more than twenty hours,
| and other Senators charged that the bill
was for the benefit of the Standard on
| Company. During the debate to-day the
| Wisconsin Senator charged that the in
| fiuence of the oil interests could be found
| everywhere and that the Standard Oil
| Company and its associates were at
tempting to influence the Senate's action
upon the German treaty and the League
| Of Nations.
Leasing Of land under the bill is
placed under the Secretary of the In
terror, and In the case of coal lands
the bill provides for royalty OF not
less than Ave cents or more than 20
cents a ton shall be paid. Alaskan coal
lands are excluded from the bill. and a
| provision authorizing the sale of lands
| as proposed in the leasing bill last ses-
| sion was eliminated. Royalties upon
oil lands would be not less than 12A
per cent or more than % per cent. upon
production. while for phosphates the
royalty would be 2 per cent. OF the gross
value Of production and one-eighth of
production for sodium.
The bill prohibits aliens. by stock
ownership or otherwise, from owning
any interest in leases obtained under
| the bill, except whore discretionary
power is given the President, II in his
| opinion he deems 1t necessary to take
! over and operate the leases or to acquire
| the products OF the land involved.
Amendments by Senator La Toilette
were approved by the Senate prohibiting
employment of boys under 16 years and
women and girls without respect to age
| In mines on Government leased land
requiring lessees TO dispose OF their
products at reasonable prices and pro-
hibiting persons, holding leases from en-
gaging In combinations in restraint OF
trade
feated tonight an amendment by Sena-
tor Phelan (CaL) authorizing the
President within his discretion TO estab1
lish an export embargo on oil. The
Senate also voted down a substitute bill
by Senator King (Utah) providing for
the turning over by the Government OF
the public domain to the various States
In which II Is located. An amendment
by Senator Kirby (Ark.) authorizing
the President to mine and develop coal
oil and gas in Government owned lands
also was defeated