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Show WASHINGTON , NOTES COAL: Healings on complaints charging charg-ing five producers in Utah, Montana Mont-ana and Ohio with violations of the Bituminous Coal Code have been set by the Bituminous Coal Division of the Depaartmet of the interior. The complaints involve in-volve either alleged direct sales at prices below the effective minimum, min-imum, or the failure to collect actual transportation cost in delivering de-livering coal. Hearings on complaints against B. A Howard (Deer Creek Coal Company), Huntington, Utah; Malcolm N. McKinnon, Salt Lake City, Utah, and John Arronco, Jr., Price Utah, have been set for Sepetember 2 and 4, before Trial Examiner D. C. McCurtain, at the County Court House, at Price. The complaints were filed by the Bituminous Coal Producers Board for District No. 20, Salt Lake Utah A hearing on a complaint against Richard Almon and George Almond and George Gal-bavy, Gal-bavy, Box Elder, Montana, will be held before Examiner McCurtain at the Post Office Building, Havre Montana. The complaint was filed fil-ed by the Bituminous Coal Producers Pro-ducers Board of District 22, Billings, Bil-lings, Monatana. LAND: Valentine Script Secretary of Interior ordered an investigation this week of what may prove to be a new form of government land racket in Los Angeles and other Southern California Cal-ifornia cities, following receipt of information that rare old Federal land grant scrip issued in 1874 was being offered for sale at many times its true value. The script, prospective purchasers are reported to have been told, could be used to acquire privately-owned beach properties and potential oil lands alleged to be parts of the public domain along the Southern South-ern California shores. With several applications for for use of the scrip to purchase alleged al-leged public land already pending before the General Land Office, the Secretary warned the public to acquaint itself fully with the facts beefore investing in old grants certificates called Val entine script. The facts are, first, that their are few, if any, tracts of land along the California shores listed on the official records as available availa-ble for disposition under the public pub-lic land laws, the Secretary has been advised by Commissioner Fred W. Johnson. In addition it was pointed out that in the disposition dis-position of any public land, the Government retains the rights in the potential mineral, oil or gas resources on the property. It is explained, the so-called Valentine scrip lost its effectiveness effective-ness as 3- paramount factor in the acquistion of public land with the inception of the national conservation conser-vation program by enactment of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 under this act, no portion of the public domain can be disposed of with script until it has first been classified by the Secretary of Interior In-terior as suitable for the use for which it is sought, and executive orders of the President withdraw all lands from disposal pending such classification. Under these circumstances, Valentine script, which years waa given priority prior-ity of consideration in the acquisition acquisi-tion of public lands, today posses poss-es no greater rights than any other oth-er formal application for such lands, whose disposition mupt be made under the conservation policies pol-icies embodyied in the Taylor Act. One of the odd angles in the admin-stration of public domain, i (Continued on Page 5) WASHINGTON NOTES (Continued from page 1) the issuance of Valentine script by the Government formed an intehesting interlude in early California Cal-ifornia history. In 1860, the Federal Government Govern-ment took possession of 13,300 acres of land in Sonoma County which had been granted to Juan Mirada in 1844 by the Mexican Government. A few years later, Thomas Valentine bought from Miranda his "claim" against the Government and took the case to the Federal district court. Evenki Even-ki tually, the claim was allowed by J a special act of Congress in 1872, and affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1874. In lieu of the land embraced In the Mirande grant. Valentine was issued special Government script for 13,300 acres of public land in 40-acre portions, which could be used as special right to acquire other portions of the public do-maine. do-maine. The Secretary of Interior stated stat-ed that this old script has lost its special value, under the Taylor Act, while still recognized as suitable suit-able for the acquistion of tracts which have been classified as pro-proper pro-proper for disposition, posses no majic power for land acquistion which warrants its purchase at many times the current market |
