CLASSIFICATION OF MINEBAL LANDS. 



87 



Summarizing the above: The Government price per ton for a 

 bed 6 to 10 feet thick will range from 6.4 mills (0.64 cent) for an 

 8,000 B. t. u. coal to 1.2 cents for a 15,000 B. t. u. coal, but if a coal is 

 of coking quality its price may be increased to a maximum of 2.4 

 cents, or if its quality is lo'w it may be decreased to one-tenth cent 

 or less. 



In computing the thickness of a split or broken bed for valuation 

 the same allowance is made as in considering classification. 



The following table gives the computed value per acre of ordinary 

 coal beds of different B. t. u. and different thickness : 



Normal price per acre of coal land containing one led nf coal with heat values 

 from 10,000 to 15,000 B. t. v. and thickness from 1 foot 6 inches to 50 feet. 



o Where the computed value Is less than $20 the minimum prescrihed hy law is placed on the land- 

 ISO if the lands lie within 15 miles of a railroad and $10 if more than 15 miles from a railroad. 



VAXilTE OF rRBEaiTIiAIl BEDS. 



If the calculated thickness of any coal bed or group of beds shows 

 a considerable variation in thickness and shows that this variation 

 is not regular, it must be recognized that on any 40 acres concerning 

 which no data are available the coal may be as thick or as thin as 

 the maximum or minimum measured in adjacent areas.. Because 

 of the limited acreage that one purchaser may now legally buy and 

 because he may not exchange his land for other land if it proves 

 not to be underlain by as much coal as had been estimated in de- 

 termining its price, an allowance should in fairness be made to him 

 for possible local thinning. 



If any regularity is shown in the changing thickness of the coal, 

 the practice is adopted of drawing lines of equal thickness, a feature 



