ml rain ue rail urn
for lb medium
Following is the full text of the
Alaska coal bill introduced by Sen
ator Kelson, of Minneapolis:
"Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Con
gress assembled: That all lands with
in the Territory of Alaska to which
patents have not been earned or to
which a vested right has not been ac
quired, and which contain aeposits
of coal, or of lignite, or associated
minerals which for the purposes of
this act shall be called coal, and the
coal therein, are hereby reserved
from all forms of entry, appropria
tion, and disposal except under the
provisions of this act: Provided,
that all other minerals in such land
shall be expressly reserved to the
United States and from disposition
under this act.
"Sec. 2. That any person more
than 21 years old, who is a citizen
of the United States, or any asso
ciation or corporation of such per
sons, may in writing apply to the
Secretary of the Interior for a li
cense to prospect and explore for
coal, or for a lease to mine and ex
tract coal from a coal deposit or
mine, on any of the lands in the
United States in the Territory of
Alaska not exceeding an area of
3,200 acres in any one license or
lease, under such regulations and
limitations not inconsistent with
this act, as the Secretary of the
Interior may prescribe. The appli
cant for such license or lease shall
in his application, if the land be
surveyed, describe the land applied
for by the subdivisions of the sur
vey, and if the land is not survey
ed, then by permanent monuments
placed at the exterior corners of the
land with the courses and distances
between the same.
To Prevent Monopoly.
“The Secretary of the Interior may
reject such application if it appears
to him that it is not made in good
faith, or that it involves a purpose
to monopolize the output or supply
of coal, or to control the price of
the same. If the Secretary of the
•Interior approves of the application
■for a license to prospect and explore,
he may on behalf of the United
States under his hand and the seal
of his office, issue to the applicant
a license to prospect and explore for
Coal, to the exclusion of any one
•else, the land applied for, not ex
ceeding an area of 3,200 acres in a
compact body, for a term not ex
ceeding two years for a compensa
tion of 25 cents per acre for the
'first year and 50 cents per acre for
The second year, with the privilege
•of leasing, before the expiration of
the license the coal mines or coal
deposits on the land upon the terms
and conditions hereinafter prescrib
ed.
"Such license shall be issued in
triplicate and one copy thereof shall
he filed in the interior department,
one copy with the register of the
land office in the district in which
the lands are situate, and one copy
delivered to the licensee. The Sec
retary of the Interior may, In his
discretion, if all the conditions of
the license have been duly complied
with, extend the term of the license
for an additional year at a compen
sation of $1 per acre. The licensee
cannot assign his interest in the
license without the consent of the
'Secretary of the Interior nor to any
One not qualified to obtain such li
cense in the first instance; and no
‘person, firm, association, or corpor
ation shall acquire or hold, directly
or Indirectly more than one such 11
ceitffe.
“Sec. 3. If the Secretary of the
Interior approves of an application
•for a lease, made as hereinbefore
'prescribed, he is hereby authorized,
*in his discretion, under such rules
%nd regulations as he may prescribe,
to lease on behalf of the United
States, to the applicant the coal de
posits or coal mines on an area of
’hot to exceed 3,200 acres of land
In a compact body, for the purpose
*of mining, extracting and disposing
‘of the coal, for a period of thirty
'-years, at a royalty to the United
States of 5 cents per ton run of mine
'coal extracted if the lease is made
within ten years from the date of the
passage of this act, and if the lease,
or any renewal thereof, is made af
ter that period than at a royalty of
not less than 6 cents nor more than
15 cents per ton, and in addition
to such royalty a rental is to be
paid to the United States annually
at the beginning of each year as fol
lows: Fifty cents per acre of the
leased premises for the first year,
$1 per acre for the second year, $2
per acre for the third year, and ?4
per acre for each and every year
thereafter during the continuance of
the lease. Such rental for any year
shall be credited upon the royalty
accruing during that year.
Sell at Just Rates.
“Every such lease granted under
the provisions of this act shall be
upon the conditions that the lessee
will not monopolize, in whole or in
part, the trade in coal; that the les
see will at all times sell the coal ex
tracted from the premises at just,
fair and reasonable rates and with
out any discrimination in price, or
otherwise as to persons or places;
that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission shall, upon its own initiative,
or upon the complaint of an ag
grieved rarty, have the same power
to pass upon, determine and pre- ^
scribe the present and future rates
at which the coal shall be sold by
the lessee as is given the said com
mission by the provisions of an act
entitled ‘An Act to Regulate Com
merce,’ approved February 4, 1887,
and all acts amendatory thereof or
supplemental thereto, in respect to
the transportation rates charged by
common carriers; and that the lessee
will conform to the rates prescribed
by the said commisison; and upon
the further condition that the mining
of the coal shall be carried on with
reasonable sKill and care, without
undue waste, and with due regard to
the safety and welfare of the min
ers.
“Sec. 4. That the Secretary of
the Interior shall, on behalf of the
United States, under his hand and
the seal of his office, execute in trip
licate a written lease of the prescrib
ed premises to the lessee, which
shall contain all the terms and con
ditions hereinbefore prescribed, and
such other fair and reasonable condi
tions and provisions as the Secre
tary may. in his discretion prescribe.
One copy of the lease shall remain
on file in the interior department,
one copy of the same shall be filed
in the office of the register of the
land office in the district in which
the leased premises are situate and
one copy shall he delivered to the
lessee.
“No lease shall be executed until
the leased premises have been duly
surveyed by the United States, or un
der its authority, and the leased
premises shall be described in the
lease in conformity with the sub
divisions of such survey. The leased
premises shall be in a compact body
and shall not be less than one mile
wide nor more than four miles long.
The Secretary of the Interior may,
in his discretion, and upon good
grounds, extend and renew a lease
for an additional period of ten
years, but in such case the royalty
shall not be less than 10 cents nor
more than 15 cents per ton run of
mine of the coal extracted.
May Not Assign Lease.
“The lessee shall not, without the
consent of the Secretary of the In
terior, assign his interest in the
leased premises to any one else nor
shall he assign the same to any one
who would be disqualified from ob
taining the lease from the United
States in the first instance. And no
person, firm, association or corpora
tion shall, directly or indirectly, ac
quire, or hold by assignment, or oth
erwise. more than one lease. And if
any member of a firm or association,
or any stockholder of a corpora
tion is disqualified from obtaining
a lease to mine or a license to ex
plore, the firm, or association, of
which he is a member, and the cor
poration of which he is a stockhold
er, is also disqualified.
“Sec. 5. The licensee or lessee
shall have the right to the use of
the surface of the land so far asj
necessary for operations under the
license or lease. The lessee may at
any time, with the consent of the
Secretary of the Interior, terminate
the lease upon furnishing the Sec
retary with satisfactory evidence
that the supply of workable coal in
the leased premises has been ex
hausted. In case the licensee fails
to comply with the terms of his li
cense, or the lessee fails to comply
with the terms and conditions of his
lease, the Secretary of the Interior
may institute a proceeding, or suit,
in the Court of Appeals of the Dis
trict of Columbia for the purpose of
securing a decree, or judgment, for
feiting the license or lease, as the
case may be, and the said court is
hereby given jurisdiction of such
suit or proceedingi and its Judg
ment, or decree, shall be final. Pro
vided, however, that it shall be com
petent for the Supreme Court of the
United States by certiorari to review,
modify, reverse, or affirm the same,
as in case of an appeal, or writ of
error.
Bond to be Required.
“Sec. 8. That no license or lease
shall be granted or issued until the
licensee, or lessee, shall give a bond
to the United States in such sum and
with such surety as the Secretary oi
the Interior may prescribe for the
payment of all royalties and rents,
and for the due and faithful com
pliance with all the terms and con
ditions of the lease or license. And
the existence of such bond shall be
no bar to the institution of a suit
to forfeit the license or lease, as
provided in the preceding section of
this Act; and a judgment of for
feiture of the license shall be no bar
to the enforcement, by legal pro
ceedings, of the bond given in behalf
of the license or lease.
“Sec. 7. That in case a 'license
is terminated by expiration of time,
or in case a lease is terminated by
expiration of time, or in the manner
prescribed by section 5 of this Act
and all the claims and demands of
the United States, in respect to the
same, have been liquidated, the li
cense or lessee may remove such
structures, machinery and fixtures,
as he may have placed upon the land
covered by the lease or license. The
United States shall in all cases have
a first lien upon all such structures,
machinery and fixtures, for all roy
alties, rents, or other claims that
may be due, or accrue, in respect to
any lease or license. In case of a
decree of forfeiture of a license, or
lease, the court shall, in its decree,
determine and prescribe the dispo
sition that shall be made of the
structures machinery and fixtures on
the premises affected by the decree.
“Sec. 8. That the Interstate Com
merce Commission is hereby empow
ered, upon its own initiative or up
on the complaint of an aggrieved
party, after due hearing, to pass up
on, and determine, and prescribe
the present and future rates at which
coal, mined on leased premises, shall
be sold by any lessee under this Act
in the same manner and to the same
extent as in the case of the transpor
tation rates of common carriers un
der the provisions of the act entit
led ‘An Act to Regulate Commerce,’
approved'February 4, 1887, and all
acts amendatory thereof or supple
mental thereto. And the determi
nation and decision of the commis
sion may be reviewed, reconsidered
and revised in the same court in the
same manner and to the same ex
tent as in the case of common car
riers under the provisions of said
acts.
Creates Alaska Fund.
“Sec. 9. That one-half of all the
monies derived from licenses and
leases granted under the preceding
provisions of this Act shall be paid
into and constitute a part of the
‘Alaska Fund’ in the Treasury of the
United States, provided for and cre
ated by the Act entitled ‘An Act to
Provide for the Construction and
Maintenance of Roads, the Establish
ment and Maintenance of Schools,
and the Care and Support of Insane
Persons in the District of Alaska
and for Other Purposes,’ approved
January 27, 1905, and may be ex
pended for the purposes described
in said Act; and the residue of the
monies derived from such licenses
and leases shall be paid into the
Treasury of the United States and
constitute a part of the general funds
of the Treasury.
“Sec. 10. That it shall be the
duty of the Secretary of the Interior
to ascertain as soon as he may wheth
er any of the coal deposits in the
Territory of Alaska are suitable and
well adapted for the use of the navy
of the United States, and if such
deposits are found, the Secretary,
under the direction of the President,
may withhold and withdraw the same
from exploration and lease under the
preceding provisions of this Act.
That the Secretary of the Interior,
in conjunction with the Secretary
of the Navy, under such direction of
the President, may, on behalf of the
United States, under such rules and
regulations as they may prescribe,
lease such coal deposits to a lessee
or lessees, qualified to take a lease
Act, for the purpose of mining and
extracting the coal and supplying the
same to the navy and the revenue
cutter service of the United States
at an agreed price per ton, to be
specified In the lease and as to such
coal furnished the United States, as
aforesaid, no rental or royalty shall
be paid therefor by the lessee, but
the same shall be taken into account
in fixing the price at which the coal
shall be supplied to the United
States.
"Sec. 11. That the Secretary of
the Interior is hereby authorized,
in his discretion, to withdraw from
all kinds of settlement, location, sale
or entry, any land in the Territory
of Alaska, requisite for the opening
and development of a deposit of coal,
or requisite for a right of way to
or from such deposit, or requisite as
a site for wharfage for the handling,
storage or shipment of coal, and such
right of way and such wharfage site
shall be open to the free use of any
lessee under this Act in respect to
any operations carried on under this
lease, but this provision shall not
be construed to give a free right of
way or free wharfage site to any
railroad company in respect to its
railroad or railroad terminal.”
Hereafter Cordova will be the on
ly port north of Juneau which can
enter and clear foreign vessels, as
the sub-port at Valdez was closed by
an order of the Secretary of the
Treasury just issued on January 15.
This will mean that all of the coal
on Prince William Sound must be
cleared from the port of Cordova.
For a time a man was stationed at
Seward by the government to weigh
coal, but he was not allowed to clear
vessels.
The growing volume of business
handled by the port of Cordova, both
domestic and foreign, has convinced
the government that this port is en
titled to the fullest possible recogni
tion. It means that when the coal is
opened up the business will be con
centrated at this point. It is but
another industrial straw showing the
direction of the wind which is to
make Cordova a large and prosperous
city and will further carry out its
claims as the great clearance house
or gateway for the interior.
Washington, Jan. 21.—The Sen
ate is considering the best method of
the election of United States Sena
tors. The Judiciary Committee has
submitted a report in favor of the
selection of its membership of the
Senate by a direct vote of the peo
ple. Bourne wept tears of joy when
the report was brought in. The
Oregon Senator believes most enthu
siastically in the principle of the di
rect vote, for he happens to be in
Washington through the favor of his
fellow citizens. There are several
others in the Senate who believe as
does the Oregon Senator but there
are a few who do not give up the
old for the new, with facility, and
they will give the reformers a merry
battle.
Senator Dillinger dissented from
the report, while Senator Rayner is
opposed to a direct vote of the peo
ple on the subject. There will be
considerable filibustering over the
bill and it seems likely that there
will not be any action at this ses
sion.
John Berg, a former resident of
this section, who was for a time em
ployed at Miles Glacier, met death
in a snow shed at Wellington, Wash.,
according to a letter Chris Jensen re
ceived from Herbert Johnston in last
night's mail.
| I. J. ST. CLAIR T. W. CLONINGER,
Proprietors
THE WORKINGMAN’S RESORT
LOG CABIN BAR ;
WINES, LIQUORS,
AND CIGARS
I . -* .
i - t
Solo, Pool and Billiard Tables. Comfortable Chairs
and Reading Room up stairs.
Restaurant and Assay Office in Connection
S'M111 I I 1 M'W'U I 1 11'H'Wttl I | | im i mm m
:: Cordova s big store
< ►
■< ►
I s. BLUM & CO.’S
* ►
WE SOLICIT YOUR ORDERS
< ►
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^ We Carry the most complete stock of
:: GROCERIES, HARDWARE, SHOES, CLOTHING,
FURNISHING GOODS,, AND FURNITURE. : : : ; : ;
- -
WRITE US FOR PRICES
< ►
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;; Prompt Attention to Mail Orders
;; We Will Save You Money Cordova, Alaska.
+ I I lull
___ 4
Pete’s Lodging
House
AND
SECOND HAND STORRE
CHITINA HEIGHTS
Hunks 25c; Beds 50c.
PETER CORDES. Prop.
I' > '!■ ♦ !■
Ii OSBORNE ii
< > « .
!; the ;;
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;; PRACTICAL !!
Jeweler
;; CORDOVA, • ALASKA • ■
• > Watches and Jewelry at \
:: ::
i! Outside Prices ii
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■ 'Leave Your Work at the Leader< i
1 > • >
" ' ':
• • Office
i • < >
< > • >
| FRED M. SCHAUPP j
0 # 4»
« ► Manufacturer in 4 ►
O' O
Sheet Metal
< ► < ►
:: stoves,
RANGES
:: and ::
:: heaters ::
1 p
14 4 4 4♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦+ + ♦444444
RED CROSS CROC CO.
MRS. C.fM. KING
Drugs, Stationery, Fruit
Tobaccos, etc.
Mile 133
• » «
SAVOY
> • i
i! RESTAURANT S
• 1 4
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II Opposite Chitina Trading Co. 1
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The Only First-Class Cafe in |
l Chitina 1
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| American and European Plan 1
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:: Dinner 75c up l
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!! A la Carte all day |
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; Cater to special dinner parties. <
HWtfHttiilHH I I I II >♦'
AAA* A A A A . A A A A A A A A A a A A A A A A i
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