SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING 



25 



During 1913, more than 2,000,000 acres of coal land were 

 classified, and valued at nearly 33 J / 2 million dollars, while 

 nearly 8,000,000 acres were classified as non-coal land. To date 

 the classifications include 19,000,000 acres of coal land, 61,- 

 000,000 non-coal land. There is awaiting classification the 

 following lands, expressed in acres : 



Coal— 58,000,000; oil 4,600,000; phosphate, 3,000,000; pot- 

 ash, 130,000. 



Besides this federal classification work several states, not- 

 ably Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, delegate similar 

 work to their geological surveys in co-operation with their 

 tax commissions. All mineral lands are to be classified as a 

 basis for taxation. In Wisconsin, during 1913, nine field 

 parties were engaged in making magnetic surveys to determine 

 the iron-bearing lands not yet under development. 



Recently investigations of particular minerals or substances 

 are perhaps occupying a more important position than general 

 areal surveys. Reports on coal, oil, iron, clay, phosphate, 

 platinum, etc., of various states or smaller areas, 

 have been issued by public or private investigators and have 

 been of great practical use to the mineral industries. Num- 

 erous specialists in particular lines of work have developed 

 and have largely superseded the general geologist and mining 

 engineer of all-around work. This has come about largely 

 because of the increased utilitarian functions of the work, but 

 even in its pure-science aspects a high degree of specialization 

 has evolved. The distribution of important resources is 



shown by figures 5 and 6. 



Figure 5 



Barrels. 



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