Show Bill Urged r To 0 Increase Phosphate Land The Department of the In- In Interior Interior has recommended to the Senate Interior Commit Commit- Committee Committee tee enactment of a bill which would increase from to the number of acres of phosphate leases or permits which an individual may own or control on the public lands Senator Frank E Moss D D- D Dutah utah disclosed Freday Senator Moss is a member of the Committee and a I co-I co sponsor of the bill THE COMMENT of the Interior In- In Interior Department stated that it has been necessary to In- In Increase in crease the acreage limitation because of increasing demand I for phosphate minerals and expansion of the industry The IThe statement noted the I rising demand for phosphate fertilizers within the past 15 years and predicted it would continue And the report said The t technical advances made in the processing of phosphate rock particularly with the electric furnace method require large reserve deposits for a single plant The establishment of such a plant also requires a large capita investment in an area of the country that is sparsely populated and at considerable dis- dis distance lance tance from the maIn market for the product produced SENATOR MOSS said that the proposed acreage increase should not tend to create a monopoly because there are many areas in which public lands are readily available for phosphate leasing There are now acres of public lands classified as phosphate bearing he said |