Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01
Presidents Land Plan
Involves Vast Areas
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

President Hoover's proposal to trans
fer the surface rights of the remaining
unappropriated and unreserved public
lands from the Federal Government to
the individual States involves the tidy
total of some 100000 square miles, an
area equivalent to more than 10 per
cent of all the land within the continent
tai United States.
Even in a country where big things
are done in a big way. this plan contem-
plates a real estate transaction of mag
nitude. dwarfed only by the Louisiana
Purchase. the addition of the Texas
republic. the territory coded by Mexico,
and the acquisition of Alaska.
To put it another way. the 1874 100000
acres involved in the Presidents sug-
gestion for change in policy are equiv
alent to the total area of the State of
Texas. with Indiana thrown in fol- good
measure; or to the total area, land and
water. of IA States-Ohio, Kentucky.
Virginia. Maryland. Vermont. New
Hampshire. Massachusetts, New jersey,
Connecticut Delaware and Rhode
JSland-with all but small portion of
Tennessee added.
When the proposal of the Chief EX-
ecutive was laid before the conference
of the governors of the IL great public
land States last week and was met with
resolution approving the suggestion
for appointment of commission to
study the problems involved. the ground
work was laid for a fundamental change
of policy. not only as to grazing lands
of the public domain, but as to reclama-
ton projects future water power de-
velopmentS and other works of wide
spread importance to the new genera
ton and to many of the present.
Legislation will be needed to effectu-
ate any such change in policy. This is
merely the start of what probably will
| be long process of negotiation and
will develop warm controversies, but it
| is definite attempt to channel thought
| toward some action.
True, the most choice of the public
lands have been disposed of in various
ways, and the suggestion is that the
! Federal Government retain the mineral
, rights and some others to the areas it
! is proposed to transfer to State juris-
| d1ctlon, where administration along
J lines of broad conservation may be ac-
| compliShed more readily and tie in with
, altered policies on Federal reclamation
i and otherwise.
| Uncle Sam has been somewhat prod
, igal-or was in his earlier years-in
disposing of the public domain. Mil
| lions of valuable acres have been given
| individual States for public school rev.
| enue purposes. Large grants were made
| in the last century to encourage de-
| velopment. Back in 1923 Congress
coded land to help pay for a wagon
road, and in all IS different grants
We're given States for that purpose, in
! volvlng 100000 acres. Ten grants,
totaling 4500,000 acres, were made for
| canal building. Three States received
an aggregate of 2,250,000 acres for river
! Improvement.
The first grant to encourage rail-
| road construction was made in 1850
| and from then until 1871 there was a
total of SO railroad grants, some to
| States and some to private corpora
| tons. but II of these were forfeited
| for non compliance with terms The
| 70 valid railroad grants accounted for
a mammoth aggregate of 100000
State of Michigan to 100000 acres
to the Northern Pacific. 1t is note
worthy that only 81 of these cases have
been settled, while As remain for final
disposition, and Congress last Winter
was wrestling with problems in one
of them.
Congress also has disposed of millions
of acres through the homestead acts
| and otherwise, bringing land into settle
ment and cultivation. In single year
homestead titles to 17,o00,O 900 acres were
| granted.
While 20 States of the Union have
received land grants, only IL are con-
sidered now as having a public-lands
| problem. Two years ago DR.. Hubert
Work, as Secretary of the Interior,
| issued a compilation of statistics, show
| ing that in the 20 public-lands States
| the Federal Government in the fiscal
! year 1925 spent $509, 209, 900 for direct