OCR Text |
Show I UINTAH BASIN RECORD Dennie Ralphs, who has been, Hospital for 10 days receiving treatment for a lung injury, was able to come home, Dec. 15. Mr. and Mrs. George Fisher, Jr. and George Fisher, Sr. went to Salt Lake City, Friday, to Mrs. Ethel Beebe visit George Fisher, Sr.s brother, James Fisher, who is ill in the St. Marks Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Von Timothy, of Bonana, accompanied them. A special program was given Hardy Perkins was in Roosein Mutual Tuesday night. A velt, Sunday, for medical care. number of Christmas songs were WIN GAME sung by a chorus consisting of Moon Lake stake M Men Mrs. Margarert Reay, Coralie basketball team played basketMaxfield, Bonnie Ames, Alta ball at Alterra Monday night. Ames, Mrs. Vernia Allred, Doris Glade Timothy, captain, and Allred, Bob Allred and Donal Bennie Mitchell from here are Kolb, with Sharrell Ames, ac- on the team. The game was won companist. Bishop J. Arthur bv the Moon Lake stake. Timothy was the reader of the t Story of Christ. A play, The Dust of the Road," was The DUP held their regular put on. under the direction of meeting at the home of Mrs. Mrs. Margaret Maxfield. Those Marian Reese, Wednesday aftaking part were Alta Ames, ternoon. Dec. 16th. The lesson, Christmas Stories, Bishop Timothy, Claude Murray "Pioneer and Linford Maxfield. After the was given by Mrs. Alora Kolb. program, the young people en- A delicious lunch was served to Mrs. Mary Carroll, Mrs. Lola joyed dancing. Jones. Mrs. Velda Burgess, Mrs. Mrs. Lawana Timothy was Marian Reese and Mrs. Mayben brought home Sunday afternoon of Altamont. Mr. and Mrs. Louis Reese from the Roosevelt Hospital, following an appendicitis oper- went to Ogden during the week to attend the funeral of an ation. Mrs. Ty Kolb and son, Tyron, uncle. Veterinarian W. P. Peterson, made a trip to Vernal, Saturday. George Maxfield, representa- of Roosevelt, was in Altonah tive of the Henager School of vaccinating calves for Bangs Business from Salt Lake City, disease, Thursday. was in Altonah during the week. A number of Altonah people George is a former resident of attended the Senior Hop at AltaAltonah. mont, Saturday night. Thursday, December 24. 1953 in the Roosevelt Mtonali Xmas Program At Mutual Oil, Gas Boom Might Boomerang The March, 1950. bulletin of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research of ihe University of Utah was a prophetic one. In it, researchers told the dangers which an infant oil and gas leasing boom could have on the states claim to its school lands in unsurveyed areas. The bulletin had the apparent purpose of stimulating interest among Utahns to get behind a measure sponsored by Sen. Arthur V. Watkins (R Utah) to convey to the state all rentals and royalties from mineral developments on these unsurveyed school sections until such time as they could be delineated. Complete Survey Sought It was a campaign measure in a sense, to House Resolution 6235 which called for completion of a cadastral survey of unsurveyed lands in the western states by 1962. The bureau pointed out rather emphatically at the time that 12 years was a long period to wait for such delineation in view of the growth in mineral leasing in Utah. It warned as The Salt Lake Tribune had warned previously and in intervening years that an oil and gas lease filed on the unsurveyed school sections constituted a prior entry to the states claim to that section. In short, Utah could not elect to enumerat n take Secs. ed as hers, if such entry were X made. Some other contiguous sections would have to be taken by the state. Sen. Watkins bill failed of passage. Slower and Slower The cadastral survey of new lands proceeded at a slower and until in fiscal slower pace 1952-5only about 3,000 acres of land were placed under original survey. At that rate, it would take nearly 350 years to complete the delineation of school sec tions. (The Bureau of Land Management, reaching back to 1946 through June 30, 1953, for its survey rate, claims it will take only 180 years to complete the survey. The only dispute about the time is that survey pace gets slower, not faster as the years roll by.) Early in August, 1953, when figures on oil and gas leasing, became available for fiscal 1952-53the sad prophecy of the university bulletin had been largely fulfilled. On Aug. 9. this column cited the facts that more than 10 million acres of federal land had been placed under oil and gas lease. Most of that acreage was in counties where the greatest proportion of unsurveyed lands reposed. Breakdown Report The University of Utahs Economic and Business Review followed up with an excellent breakdown of location of these oil and gas leases from standpoint of federal revenues. The DUP Has Meeting one-ac- 3 druitiand Mrs. bulletin for September, 1953, which was issued by the busi-- ! ness college of the university,; said that 88 per cent of the revenues from mineral leasing came from the nine counties containing 7.1 million acres of the total of more than 12 million unsurveyed acres in the state. In the meantime, The Salt Lake Tribune had presented the proposals of Leo M. Petersen, chief of the cadastral survey for Region IV of the Bureau of Land Management, for a sim. pli&ed method of delineating the state school sections in the unsurveyed portions of the federal domain both in Utah and Colorado (which has only two school sections, not four, due her from each township). It is a matter of record that Mr. Petersens proposal was initially met with some objections on the part of the BLM officialdom in Washington. Later, however, BLM Director Edward Woozley said the proposal was being considered. Let Stales Pay He suggested in a letter to P. H. Mulcahy, Salt Lake City, who heads the Western States Land Commissioners Association, that, in effect, the public land states pay for an inventory of what acreage should be surveyed, et al. It was previously suggested by some BLM personnel that the states themselves pay for the entire cadastral survey. The argument here of the government is that the states would benefit from the survey; therefore they ought to pay for it. In any event, last week Assistant Secretary of the Interior Orme Lewis, indorsing the idea of speeding up the survey, said that the BLM had worked out a new and less expensive system of making the check. (He apparently referred to the Petersen plan.) It was assumed that the federal government would pay for the survey. An erroneous impression was given that as a result of a meeting at Washington, D. C., involving Mr. Mulcahy, Rep. William A. Dawson (R., Utah), Utah Attorney General E. R. Callister imand others, something mediate was going to be done about saving the states school lands. It appears that Secretary Lewis recognizes an obligation to get on with the survey. Legal. Moral Obligation This is akin, almost, to locking the barn door after the horse has escaped. The Western states contend the obligation always existed and that it is legal as well as moral. Officially, the BLM has stated that the problem of cadastral survey from the governments viewpoint only is largely The mistake is often made in considering that the states are still entitled to their proportionate share of large unsurveyed areas, Mr. Woozley said in a letter to Mr. Mulcahy, dated Oct. 66. i He goes on to relate that From all of us there have been vast withdrawals of lands, unsurveyed in to all of you character, and as a consequence of these' withdrawals for one a Merry IloliJay reason or another, the states arent entitled to the school secSeason, filled to tlie tions therein reposing. C Therefore, theres no point in rim with joys of S I making a cadastral survey of this withdrawal acreage. tlie Yule tide. Issues Mineral Leases Meantime, the government has been issuing mineral leases , N on surveyed lands within the 'll ' V withdrawn areas. Some of this surveyed land covers state 4 t school sections. v, T There are violent and legal objections to this practice. ' v Ayy! An act of Congress in 1927 says that so far as any withdrawals made in the future on the public domain, the states shall be secure in their title PHONE 91-- J ROOSEVELT. UTAH whether the lands are mineral in character or not. As most of the huge withdrawals were made by the government after 1927, there are millions of acres in the west affected by the law .acreage which the government agencies executive order of through presidents alone have, expropriated from schools of the western states. Looking backward in history at the public lands question it becomes obvious to students of the subject that the western states have enjoyed only second class citizenship so far as this problem is concerned. All the states east of the have been given Mississippi their school lands. Some states, such as Massachusetts, were even given lands in other states as the Northwestern Territory was developed. Confer Stale Titles It seems clear from .the enabling acts of the western and subsequent laws states, dealing with the subject, that it was not the legal intention of past congresses, in any event, to deprive the states of their lands. The whole point of the legislation is to confer title on .'CtftCWCCICCICICtCIC'CIC'C'CICICICICICIMICICICIC'CiCClCC''C!CiCNm the states. The problem of mineral entry and the problem of wholesale withdrawals of lands for power site, park, forest and what have you purposes have served, however, to deny the states what is justly theirs. A cadastral survey is of foremost importance because it will serve to delineate those lands. We will know what is available. And the survey must be made before any title can pass to the states on those school sections. However, completion of a cadastral survey will not and Hay all the Joy cannot guarantee to the state of Utah, or any other western which comaa from state, any lands of mineral chartka true spirit acter (and hence of potential value) on which oil and gas of Ckristmas ke v leases have been issued. Lost Opportunity yours through all If the western states confine tka New Year. themselves solely to the problem of the completion of a survey, they will have lost the immeasurable opportunity of paramount importance. 8 (Reprint from Salt Lake SlUMlMlMlS'MiftftMlltMlMlMlftMlMiMtliMlM'MtMiUkftltftSiMtMii Tribune) 'fit?''. . 'Tk CARLSON CLEANERS j - Utah Colorado Gas Company Jack Muir JOYFUL Christmas Time Is Jolly Time of the Its that happy time year again, when carols are TGiis Yfy greeting goes to all our friends, a sPecal note of cheer "We wish you joy on Christmas Day and happiness throughout the year. O DUCHESNE DRUG B. A. JACOBY DUCHESNE. UTAH being sung. Busy housewives are baking fancy cookies, cakes, candies and all the other goodies that go with that big Christmas dinner. We are starting to look the turkeys over close, trying to find the one that will look best on the big table. The children are busy, too, finding the biggest stocking' to hang by the fireplace in hopes that Santa Claus will come their way and fill it to the top. Then of course, they are all trying so hard to be good so Santa want pass them by. Heres wishing all our many friends and neighbors the best of Christmas cheer and a very Happy New Year. Mr. and Mrs. LaVere Labrum and family, of Roosevelt, were weekend visitors at Currant Labrum Mr. Creek Lodge. brought his movie camera with him and showed pictures taken on fishing trips and deer hunts. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Muir and Alden Muir took a load of Xmas trees to Salt Lake City, Tuesday Mrs. L. A Labrum was in Roosevelt, Friday, on business. Her son, Bob Labrum, returned with her to spend the weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Farris Casper and son, Leon, Mrs. Max Roberts and daughter, Sherry, and George Casper were in Heber City Monday. Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Labrum were busy Christmas shoppers in Salt Lake City, Monday. Bill Mann has been busy cluck hunting lately He has been having some pretty good luck, I tlie warm and cheer-fu- l atmosphere of this wonderful Christmas sea son when families are gathered together when spirits are refreshed, hearts uplifted and all the world is suddenly full of smiling people we want to offer to one and all our very hest wishes for the happiest he1 'ly youve erenjoyed. too. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Mecham and daughter, Lorna, Bert Sweat and Ray Baum were in Salt Lake City, Monday, on business Mr and Mrs. Bill Mann and son, Larry, payed a visit to Salt Lake City and Ogden, Tuesday, where they were busy Christmas shopping. Ralph Larsen, of Roosevelt, spent last weekend with Bob at Currant Creek Labrum Lodge. , t tv UINTA SALES BARN ROOSEVELT, UTAH i |