Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-22
OUR NATIONAL ESTATE TOLD
OF BY HASkIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. HaskiA

WASHINGTON, July 19.-Every
citizen of the United States has an
interest in an estate estimated to
BIZ worth al least S150,O00,0 OO, 600.
with a potential annual income
from $4,000, 100000 to $15,0OO,O O0,-
900. Founders OF great fortunes
have agreed that their only real diff
ficulty lay in acquiring the first
thousand dollars-the thousands ana
millions came as a mere matter of
multiplication. Upon that basis any
man, woman or child VINO owns al
legiance to the Stars and Stripes has
! only to cash in n individual share
in this $780, 600, 600, 900 estate to be
in a position to go after the Rookie
felier record for piling up treasures
on earth.
Unfortunately fer any such plans,
however, the estate Is not in process
OF settlement or liquidation, and
there is little likelihood that the Az
erage citizen will eve actually get
his hands on a dollar of it. It's
red wealth and his title to a pro-
portionate share of it is not to be
disputed. 1t may increase largely
in value and no n can ever cheat
him out of his part of it. Yet he
will never be able to borrow a nickel
on his share and whatever benefits
no may derive from it will be so
indirect that he will be con-
scious of them. Tantalizing, isn't
1T?
This vast estate is made UP of the
| public domain and natural re-
sources, the title to which is vested
in the federal government. Admit
tedly it's value is hypothetical-a
Meter of estimate-but 1t has been
placed at the figures quoted by no
less an authority than Secretary OF
the Interior Fall. Mr. Fall is recCg-
nized as a shrewd business man and
as he is practically its administrator
he ought to know more about what
it is worth than anybody else knows.
Here are some of the items of
this national estate, as the secretary
calls it.: 175,00O,000 acres of forest
lands; 90, O0O,0 900 acres of grazing
lands; $50, 900, 900 acres of arid and
swamp lands; immensely valuable
when reclaimed; 100, 900, 900, 900
tons Of coal; $4,000, 10000 barrels
Of petroleum and shale oil; water
power that might develop 2~0.000,000
horsepower with industrial and
commercial possibilities beyond esti-
mate; vast deposits of potash, phos-
plate, gold, silver, copper and other
minerals, and $50, 900, 900 acres OF
national parks.
Leasing Possibilities
Take the coal, oil. mineral and
water power items alone and it stag
gers the Imagination even to APP
proximate wealth producing posi-
bilities. 1t is Secretary Falls idea
that these should be ex-
plotted by a system of leasing to
private interests and If his estimates
as to royalties are correct the ia
tional debt could be wiped out In
| short order and the governments
income would be such that 1t would
not be necessary to levy taxes to
meet the expenses of the federal
establishment.
That, however, like the prospect
of the individual citizens ever cash
ing in on his share of the national
estate. is something of an irrides-
cent dream. The government has a
constantly growing income from the
development of the public resources
and the experiment of leasing oil
lands on a royalty basis Is now te-
ing tried, but 1T is extremely doubt
full that the country will ever en-
bark upon an ambitious program OF
this kind. There is too much poll
tics in the proposition. or, in any
event. there is too much possibility
for playing politics in connection
with it.
1t involves the old familiar fight
over the question of conservation
On one side is the element that be-
lieves that the natural Of
tho public domain should be care
fully preserved and guarded lest
private individuals and interests lay
unholy hands upon them, profitine
urduly thereby. On the other side
are those who insist that the only
sensible policy is to make these re-
sources Immediately productive and
that this cannot be done by the gov
eminent itself. Both groups declare
that they are interested solely in pro-
noting general welfare, but each is
intolerant of the others ideas and
each calls the other names 1t may
be added that such a strong case is
made by each side that the aver
age layman is unable to decide
which is right. Possibly neither is
wholly right nor wholly wrong.
Origin of Public Domain
While this debate is going on II
Is interesting to delve into history
and ascertain when and how the
federa3 soyernment acQutred ttkis