Casper Daily Tribune Newspaper, February 15, 1925, Page 33

* SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1925 PUBLIC LANDS RICH IN OIL EARNINGS ARE ENORMOUS Millions of Acres of Homestead Lands Stull Open By MART T. CHRISTENSEN Register, United States Land Office, Cheyenne, Wyoming. In confining myself strictly to the State of Wyoming while eummariz- ing a year’s land business for the government, I am not necessarily re- stricting myself to so small a ter- ritory, for E am in truth practi cally covering all of Uncle Sam's cash transactions on the publio do- main when I set forth the figures for Wyoming alone. This statement may seem pretty broad at first glance considering the fact that there are twenty-four other public land states still inculded in the list, but the follovting figures speak for themselves. ‘The commissioner's report for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1924, shows receipts from the public do- main amounting to sixteen mililon, three hundred thousand dollars of which grand total Wyoming contrib- uted twelve million, four hundred thirty-four thousand, while the cost of maintaining the six land offices in the state amounted to only sev- enty-three thousand dollars, in round numbers.. It is not surprie- ing, therefore, that the land offices of the state should lay considerable stress upon such an item of enter- est to everyone above all others for the reason that during the past ten years it appears to be the rule in our state, that as the public domain has been diminishing yet the revenue from the remaining lands continue to increase, owing to oll develop- ment, and for the further reason that a very strenuous effort was made during the present session of congress to abolish two of the six local land offices in the state which were administering portions of the large amount of money referred to above for the United Sttes treasury. In justice to the office at Douglas it is only fair to call attention to the fact that’ by far the greater portion of the said oi] revenue originates there, altho, as a mater of fact, re ceipts are far above expenditures in any of the remaining offices of the state. Oil Industry 225 Million. ‘Taking actual figures for {t while calling attention to the biggest item {n the state’s resources and using the customary royalty basis under which the ofl men operate, & con- servative estimate of Wyoming’s ofl wealth for a period of twelve months ending June 30, 1924, may be placed at two hundred and twenty-five million dollars. I would include in this amount such items production upon private lands and production under leases direct from the state upon school lands. Wyoming state lands granted by the government for educational and other purposes embraces an area of 4,188,569 acres out of which the total for sections 16 and 36 amount to 3,470,009. Production of ofl and gas upon state lands, however, is limited to very few sections in the state with royalties accruing there- from to the amount of $1,801,171,000. Oil men operating under state leases pay royalty upon the basis of 12% per cent up to as high as 65 per cent. Revenue Record Shattered. Thus it will seem that Wyoming easily leads the nation in revenue from ofl lands upon the public do- main for the government and that the said oil industry not only leads all other industries in the state but so far overshadow them that figures presented for the livestock and ag- ricultural industries seem almost in- signficant. The Denver Post in its New Year Edition with its immense circulation contained a summary of conditions and resources for 1924 presented to the world such figures as $36,030,059.00 for livesetock and $30,524,415.00 and leaving out entire- ly the oil industry with its total of over two hundred million dollars. The State Mreasurer'’s office of Wyoming from ofl production upon government lands was enriched dur- ing the past calendar year to the amount of $4,223,228.00. Land Office Now Oil Bureau. Bince the land offices of the state have been practically converted into “oll bureaus” {t follows quite natur- ally that the homesteader is given second place in a brief sketch of thi character and yet homestead tran: actions during the year under di cussion loomed up large in the af- fairs) of the state despite the gr falling off in the demand for pub- Me lands during the past three years. There was entered in the state three million twenty-nine thousand acres most of which was taken up under the stockraising act of Dec. 29, 1916. However there was a very noticea- ble falling off In the acreage which went to patent during this period. Ex-Service Men Relinquish. Just after the war there was a sort of wholesale filing by soldiers upon grazing lands in the west in response to quick and favorable land legislation by congress on behalf of the ex-service men. These en- tries to @ great extent have now arrived at the stage when they must either be perfected or reported for cancellation for failure to submit final proof within the statutory life of the entry. In a very great many instances they have been the subject of investigation by a special agent from the Field Division who has recommmened ad’ we proceeding in Che Casper Daily Cribune OPPORTUNITIES PAGE SEVEN Ready for the Alfalfa Mill---Four Tons Per Acre UNAPPROPRIATED AND UNRESERVED LANDS IN WYOMING BY COUNTIES AND THEIR LATE CLASSIFICATION ||. The following table shows by lands districts and counties public lands in Wycming, surveyed and unsurveyed, with a brief statement of their character: Land district and couaty Buffalo— Johnson -. Big Horn Sheridan Converse TOTAL Evanston— Fremont Lincoln -. Sweetwater ------. Uinta - TOTAL Lander— Big Horn -.—---~----.-----~------. Fremont Hot Springs -----------------—---. Park -----------------------------. Washakie ------------------------. TOTAL ~~ - === 1,891,960 Newcastle— Campbell ----—-------------—-. Converse Crook -. Niobrara Weston -. TOTAL ---------------------—-. STATD TOTAL ----.------- about 275 cases. About 98 per cent of the entrymen failed to answer to the charges set forth by the govern- ment regarding non compliance with residence requirements with the re sult that approximately 130,000 acres have been turned back to the government in Wyoming and re- stored to their original status. Cause of Failures. There are many contributing causes for the above failures upon the part of ex-service men more par ticularly, In a great many instances the ex-soldiers did not really have serious intentions in the matter of homesteading and merely undertook the venture In the spirit of a sea son's recreation; others fell by the wayside while attempting to combat natural hardships and obstacles {n the way of all desert subdurers in the west. Some succumbed to un forseen difficulties in crop fa lure and financial reverses during the period when farming and sto ing underwent a general atta depression; while yet from states and localities s: different from the Rocky M region that they were but poorly equipped to repay the hospital'ty of Uncle Sam by transforming some of his arid wastes into ‘ ‘fruitful However the greatest fac- all may be sald to be that most of the lands entered are locat ed within stockraising areas which are adapted only for such purposes and may not be converted into agri- cultural uses, Opportunities Still Hore. The above conclusion does not mean that there are not vast areas still unentered in the state which may successfully be reclaimed under the so-called dry farming process. Many high mesas consisting of rich prairie lands still ie untouched and beyond reach of present irrigation systems which will undoubtedly be reclaimed thru combined effort and capital, while there {s no doubt many families ma. succesfully make a living upon stock grazing entries who will make livestock and poultry raising the principal fea- tures of their efforts. ‘Commissioner Makes Recom- mendations. The commissoner of the land of- fice renews his recommendation of last year, however, for legislation which will authorize the Secretary of the Interior to set apart public landes suitable chiefly for grazing purposes and lease the same under regulations and in such bodies as will insure the preservation of the pasturage or forage value. intain een eet n= 5,845,824 othe came | totally | THIRD CUTTING OF ALFALFA IN the areas Area in Acres Surveyed Unsurveyed _Total 410,629 689,451 60,730 424.069 1,906 488,123 _.-- 1,806.889 1,992,401 - 374,600 - 1,819,421 162,999 16,973 10,621 43,596 571,080 374,600 1,819,421 182,039 16,973 10,621 45,976 571,080 2,999,290 3,020,610 200,978 491,033 1,519.608 212.087 511,037 1,529.843 83,262 = 2! 41,353 2,836,234 57,319 23,970 46,080 577,843 1,156,970 3,663,394 575,056 6,973,268 ot 49,410 powene 1,124,444 629,431 85,520 3,155 49,410 1,152,484 636,151 85,62( 3,155 1,926,720 11,850 219,697 83,905 438,605 15,687,833 11,850 422,164 The commissioner seems con- viened that the lands adapted to the purposes intended by the stockrais- ing act have now been largely ap- propriated, leaving only lands that cannot in small bodies of 640 acres ffer and inducement to the bona fide homesteader and that the stock- with water, gas, taxes. Phone 1189 MOUNTAIN VIEW SUBURB For Economical Living Conditions Why pay rent when you can get a home stores, school, bus service and low Lots for $150.00 to $300.00 Each On Easy Payments See Baker-Grude Investment Co. WYOMING Plans for ests for homestead publ | purposes. OV county of unappropriated and unreserved et and nme Character structed this time. . Water Dry farming, rolling. | net Mountainous, grazing, agricultural. i Grazing, mountainous. Grazing, mcuntainous. Agricultural, grazing Agricul. dry rm, grazing, mount Dry farming, grazing, hilly. Grazing, mountainous. and entit] acre feet The irr pay the water ‘hc $61,644.00 December thousand, Grazing, mountainous. Mountainous, some timber. Mountainous, arid, timber. Broken, grazing, dry farming. Broken, grazing, dry farming. Broken, grazing, dry farming. Mountain., grazing, alkaline plains. so much as shall bi All une Grazing, tred land Grazing, Grazing, Grazing, dry farming, dry farming, dry farming, dry farming, mountainous. mountainous. mountainous. mountainous. unentered may not Farming, grazing, mountainous. Farming, grazing, timber. The ac Dry farming, grazing, alkaline. Provides Dry farming, grazing. —— Commission recently and considered suggesting a grazing Goshen Irrigation District. area embrs lars and on or before M tary to cover the df the actual maintenance of the for the season of 19 cate has been issued, Ic the district, and described by the department are subject to the pro visions of this agreement, for any purpose resident commissioner, off! , agent or employee of the gov rnment will be permitted to share the benefits from this contract and agreement. This does not refer to corporations , however, where such ontract or agreement is made for the general benefit of such corpora- tion, gress, Government Townsites. The townsite of West Yellowstone, Wyo., was approved on Aug. 25, 1924, It is situated near the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park and was eliminated from the national re- serve for townsite purposes Survey was also ordered for the townsite of Esterbrook, Wyo. on June 16, 1924, and the opening or- dered in due time under sections 2382 and 2386 Revised Statutes, Homesteaders Oi! Rights. It is still possible for homesteaders to acquire title to lands under the original homestead acts for as much as 320 acres containing all oll and gas rights without reservation of such mineral rights to the govern: ment, provided they file upon lands outside of present known geologic structures and also provided that there is not now pending or subsist ing applications for oll and gas rights thereon and-provided further that they submit final three or five year proof before such applications for prospecting permits are filed, It {s understood, of course, that the homesteader himself may file upon lands entred for ofl and gas rights at any time but the fact that he has May 1¢ a homestead filing upon the lands contrac no longer caryiers a preference right on Distr Goshen | period within which to exercise his | right of filing for the oil and gas. = Only those homesteaders who filed af prior to Feb. 25, 1920, the date of be leasing bill acquired such a aiding cattle raisers of public ex by freer use for- and ot | restrictions to permit use don for ension agricultural ernment o: lar aced W under nt Pro, and m | right Oil and Stockraising Applications. Before submitting the area of va- cant unappropriated and unreserved public land in Wyoming by land dis- tricts and counties with a brief state- ment of thelr character, it might be well to state that the state embraces an area of 62,664,960 acres. From the date of the stockraising act, Dec. 29, 1916, 9,884,196 acres | been appropriated under that act. ‘This {s the highest record of any of the states. Wyoming also leads the balance of the states in the number of appli- cations under the leasing act of Feb, 25, 1920°from the pasage of the act to June 30, 1924, with 6,987 filings. Nevada has the greatest area of unentered public lands with a total of something over 52 million acres. Wyoming stands fourth with an area of 16,687,833 acres, In the appropriation bill passed by the United States Senate Jan. 8, 1925, under items for reclamation projects Wyoming heads the list for the amount of $1,714,000, which is approximately a half million more than that of any other state. The matter was submitted to a confer. committee January 9, 1925. was avs nt proje 4 for approximately 46,000 nder the August 13, ble acre Act of igation United t to exe as follows 1, 1924, the s four hundred um On or before of @ deter amount the secre. maining ed Midwest Pharmacy Midwest Bldg. cost of gation works ntered pubic land and en- for which no final certifi ated within but all lands while fu that status be assessed by the district | Stability rred t ref to above also that _no member of con Grazing, agril. mountainous, timber. Moun., arid, timber, farm, some stone Farming, mineral, grazing, timber Timber, stone, farm, graz., mineral Broken, farming and grazing. Rough, Rough, Rough, Rough, Rough, grazing. grazing. grazing, some timber, grazing. grazing, some timber. raising law in {ts present from has fulfilled its part in our public land scheme and should now give way to | a broader and more adaptable plan for the utilization of our public gr ing lands,. It {s to be noted in ti connection that the Secretary of the Interior met with the Agricultural phone, electricity, 133 N. Wolcott St. The Kimball Drug Store, 31 Years Ago Casper’s Pioneer Drug Stores THE KIMBALL DRUG STORES Main Store: Kimball Bldg. “Two Stores for Your Convenience” For 36 Years The Casper National Bank has faithfully served the people of Casper and Natrona County. Its growth has been consistent and steady until today its pillars rest on a foundation of the highest character. The same principles that can be attributed to our growth in the past will prevail in the future---integrity, conserva- tism, reliability. Basing our service on these principles, we invite you to come in and get acquainted with our personnel and our com- plete facilities for serving you. The Casper National Bank CASPER, WYOMING 36 Years of Service COMMERCIAL SAVINGS TRUST May We Serve You SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES