THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE LANDS 



By MORSE S, DUFFIELD, Utah 



IN THE inventory of resources re- imum production and will soon begin 

 ported by the National Conservation to decline. Tennessee has compara- 

 Commission it was stated that at tively large deposits, but this field alone 

 the present rate of use and waste the would, at the present rapid rate of in- 

 supplies of phosphate rock would be crease, last, according to the geologists, 

 consumed within twenty-five years ; and only eleven years. There is some phos- 

 on December lo, 1908, President Roose- phate rock in Arkansas, but it is of low 

 velt withdrew from entry certain public grade. The large deposits of the public- 

 lands in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming land states must furnish the most of 

 supposed to contain phosphate. the phosphate of the future." 



That his course was wise seems evi- In the light of these facts, the with- 

 dent from facts adduced by the com- drawal of phosphate lands as an emer- 

 mission. In 1890 there were mined gency measure was ordered by Presi- 

 510,488 tons of phosphate rock in the dent Roosevelt, pending action by Con- 

 United States; in 1907, 2,265,000, and gress. And it is to be regretted that 

 of this amount 1,018,212 tons, or about bills now before Congress tend directly 

 forty-five per cent were exported. The toward anything but conservation, 

 rapid rate of increase in the domestic Senator Smoot's bill merely suggests 

 use of phosphate, taken in connection investigation and is mainly tentative in 

 with the limited supply, causes serious character ; but the other two bills — one 

 enough concern, but what called forth by Senator Flint of California, and the 

 the most vigorous protest is the ex- other by Mr. Mondell of Wyoming — 

 portation of nearly half the product. are designed primarily to cure past liti- 



President Van Hise, of the Univer- gation in the field, and do not have in 

 sity of Wisconsin, is authority for the view the conservation of the deposits, 

 statement that it has been shown, as the Of these two bills, Mr. Mondell's is the 

 result of agricultural experiment sta- worse from the point of view of con- 

 tion work in Wisconsin, Ohio, and II- servation. And the attention of the 

 linois, that in fifty-four years certain friends of this country's resources 

 cropped soils of these states have been should be called to this question, 

 depleted of one-third of their original To begin with, Mr. Mondell's bill is 

 phosphoric acid — 1,080 pounds, or dated May 13, 1908, and hence could 

 twenty pounds per annum per acre, not have been designed for the con- 

 The Geological Survey says : "Apply- servation of the deposits, because the 

 ing this rate of exhaustion to the phosphate lands were not withdrawn 

 400,000,000 acres of cropped land in until December 10. 1908; on the con- 

 the United States, it would require trary, it bears strong internal evidence 

 12,000,000 tons of phosphate rock an- of having been designed on behalf of 

 nually just to ofi^sct this loss, or as much litigants in the phosphate field. It pro- 

 as the total amount that has been mined vides that locations made either under 

 from the Florida deposits. The phos- the placer act or under the lode act, 

 phate rock of North Carolina is nearly prior to the withdrawal of the lands, 

 exhausted, and the Florida deposits — shall hold according to their priority, 

 once popularly considered practically irrespective of whether the land was 

 inexhaustible — have reached their max- placer or lode — according to the Fed- 

 686 



