The Sauk Centre herald., 1929-03-21
HOOVER OIL POLICY
IS CONSERVATIVE
Move Considered Step Toward
Solving the Problems of
the Far West
BENEFITS WIDE SPREAD
President Gets Ruling of At
torney General Mitchell on
Immigration Act

Washington, March 18.-Before
the President, as he went into the
third week of his administration,
lay a widely varying multitude OF
tasks, some of them new. He al
ready has started the adminlstra-
ton upon an oil conservation pol
icy and this has emphasized other
questions to be dealt with.
There has come the intimation
that oil conservation is but step
toward a general policy of hand
ling the immense public land hold
ings of the government in such a
way as to give the greatest beneflt
to the western states in which the
bulk of them are located. The first
news of this came yesterday from
former Representative Winter, OF
Wyoming, after conversation
with the President, but from offic-
ial sources there came no indica-
tion of what further steps were
contemplated.
During the past several years
there has been a growing clamor
in congress from western represen-
tatives against the retention by
the government, as public lands, OF
a large percentage of the acreage
of their states. Several bills have
been lodged in the public lands
committees of the two houses of
congress seeking to bring these
lands upon the tax rolls of the
states, either by increasing the
number of acres that may be grant
ed under the homestead law, or by
other means.
In addition to the formulation
of such a general policy, Mr.. Hoov-
er is giving much thought to work.
ing out plans for the law enforce
'ment commission, to meeting the
question of farm relief at the
coming special session, to handling
the national origins clause of the
immigration act, to reapportion-
ment of representation in the
house, and to the perplexities pre-
sented by small appointments.
Each situation necessitates num-
erous conferences which fill his
days and sometimes his nights. In
his consideration of the various
problems, the chief executive
brings his mind from one subject
to another abruptly. It is often
the case that half a dozen success
sive callers confer on as many diff
ferent problems.
In laying plans for his law en-
forcement, commission, the PreSi-
dent is gathering information
from many responsible sources
with the expectation of selecting
the individuals who will make the
study after he has sorted through
the names presented.
An opinion from Attorney Gen.
eral Mitchell as to whether it is
mandatory for the President to
issue a proclamation on April 1,
putting into effect the national or
igins provisions of the immigra-
ton laws on July 1, already has
been placed on Mr.. Hoover's desk
There has been no intimation as
yet, however, of the nature of the
opinion.
The ruling will be made public
wi5niE the next few days, and up
on it will depend whether the Pres
ider.t will put into operation the
provisions which led to a series of
successive battles in congress and
the repeal of which he is known to
favor. The provisions would fix
the number of immigrants at 1885,
0G0, to be allotted among the
countries according to the percent
age Of their national residents m
the country at the time of the
1920 census.