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Show I UTAH IS HURT BY I j PROPOSED LEASING K j J. F. Gallbrcath, Secretary of Mining Congress, K j In Discussing Present Situation, Cites H the Alaskan Coal Cases. mm-, KV The rctntlon of Uib redrral govern V mnt to publlo land In the Went with H. i particular reference to what the gov r ' erriment la dolnc and U planning to Hk ' do to develop unsettled section will H; I be one of th question up for discus B " Dion nt the eighteenth annual contcn ' (Ton of thr American Mining rongrer Hk f ' nt San Francisco, Beptember 20th to U 1M. J. F. Callhreath of Washington. Hm' D,. (1, secretary of the congress, who & wim In flalt 1-nko City a few day ago P on hlr way til Colorado, raid that the H. congress thin year hoped to Introduce H ' many new pinna trading to n closer Hi relationship between the government H settlor. H "The question of taxation la most H vital to rapid development," said Call Hi breath, "because of the continually H. t growing oxpenso of maintaining gov H i eminent over n large area, and the ! growing need for schools, hospital ; I nnd Rood road. If the most vnliialito Ht natural rcsouri.es of the Western Vf Htatr shall lie held tinder federal B, 1 control, leaving the state without the HHH' rlKht of taxation, the burden of tnxa !tlon will bo unduly heavy on the prop erty In private ownership, The Mate' a development a a whole will he great ci J hampered where the controlling K ' , power la thousand of ml Ira nway with F little or no undemanding of the c K ,llnl condition which must bo met. K The experience of Alaska furnlahea a H! fair example. B . IHmich Alaska Coal Situation. K "HI nee the withdrawal of the coal H ' landa In Alatka In H0, no coal mln K, ,' ; IIC ha boen done In that territory, f i richly endowed with an abundance or H ' ', ' ( fuel, nnd It Inhabltanta have been 'x ' compelled to buy coal from llrltUh H t Columbia, and other aourcea for price H ranging from twelve to twenty dollar B per ton. During all theae year con- M gre ha been etrtiggllng to provide a H, leoalng law ur.ler which coal opera H i iionn '" Alarkn may be permitted. H ' Thl wo finally accomplished during ' i j Hit, the leoalng bill for Alaska coal i,, , , XanA being a I if tied by the prealdent, B " October H, 1DM. Hlnco that time 'N , ' the administration ha been endeavor H ..-, Ing to frumn a lease which would con B i ' form to the net. but up to thl time I ' ha not been uble to promulgutn a BV' I' 1 i form of contract under which coal KS i ' I j mining might be governed. The coal Hat, Mr claimant of Alavka, w ho many yearn B 1 I "" P'1' Into the government treat- B . 1 ' urj' mote than 1300.000. and expend H I ' etl million, of dollar In the develop H u ment work neceaaary to meet the re B ' 1 (lulremenl for patent have not only 1 - been denied the right to patent, but H , ' : I have been allowed no opportunity to B ,' (Cft the validity of their clulm In 1 L , H : "Utah I likely In have a almllnr ex perlence. Not long ago extenalve VVBi'1 Phoaphate bed ware discovered In Bl Uintah county In Utah, nilng Hero H. made on n large acreage, and plan R were being developed for working thU H; depoalt on n largo acale. Immediately i H1 the federal government withdrew fromi B. entry nearly two hundred thou H' . ' eand acrea of land, Including the land B I filed on. It will be natural to auppoan B , I that flllnga inn do before the wth B ' U drnwal would be conrldered valid ( claim nnd that patent would l . J , granted on compliance with the mln i .'. 1 oral land luw. The Alakan expert B " J ' vnce doe not Juitlfy thla belief. The H' withdrawal of tlu land filed on In dlcAtc a pitrpoaa to prevent theae lands from pausing Into private ownership owner-ship and under tho present condition when the contest must be heard before be-fore tho Interleor department, with no right of appeal to the courts, the aame reault will likely follow that have brought dlnappolntment and fin anclal ruin to the Alaskan pioneer. Coal ItcMiurcc of Utah. "It li estimated by government or riclal that Utah contain 196.420, 000.000 ton of coat. About fifty million mil-lion ton Iiavo already been mined. Tho coal already mined In Utah tinder a federal leasing system at two cent per ton, the minimum royalty provld ed, would have paid to tno government a cool million dollar. On tho theory that one-hair of tho coal resource may bo waMcd In mining operations, and that 10 per rent of the remaining hair shall bo mined during the next hundred yeai, the avorago royalty to the fed oral treasury to bo paid each year during thl hundred year would amount to 81,9(4,000. In view of tho fact that the record of coal production produc-tion In tho United Htatea show that the production ha doubled during eath ten yenra, the above figures, startling a they be, cannot be considered consid-ered entirely Improbable. 'The water powers of Utah nro much greater than her coal resourcea. If a federal leasing system mean that tho futuro development of Utah I to be governed by the same rule which have controlled Alaska, the rtate can well afford to Join with other state In a comprehensive effort to present tho adoption or a federal leasing tern. These natural resource under a state leasing ryatem, with the royal-lie royal-lie paid Into the Rtate treasury, with tho control In the hands of a atate ad-mlnlctratlon, ad-mlnlctratlon, amenablo to the demands de-mands of tho people, desirous of bringing about the highest development, develop-ment, would, In a few thort years, provide through royalties sufficient fund to support the state government. govern-ment. "Tho coming resalon or tho mining congrcs at Kan Francisco will give special attention to the discussion or this subject nnd the providing or ways and mean to work out tho best Inter esl or tha West." |