CLASSIFICATION OF MINERAL LANDS. 95 



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Distance from railroads very largely affects the value of coal land. 

 In fixing the value of Government coal land, however, distance from 

 railroads is not taken into account, their value being based on that 

 of the coal itself, but, in accordance with the law, the price so fixed is 

 automatically reduced one-half for all lands lying more than 15 miles 

 from a railroad in operation. Some land that contains coal beds, 

 though within 15 miles of a railroad, can not be reached by a rail- 

 road switch without going either around or over a high moun- 

 tain, so that by either route its distance from the railroad practically 

 exceeds the 15-mile limit. Such land is treated as if it were beyond 

 the 15-mile limit and its price is reduced one-half, though not below 

 the legal minimum — $20 an acre. 



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In view of the uncertainty that may exist concerning many features 

 of an undeveloped coal field, even if the evidence seems conclusive 

 that it contains a large volume of coal, the maximum price of coal 

 land is fixed by the regulations at $300 a nacre, except that if the field 

 in which the land is situated contains very large mines, and if the 

 coal is well known in the market and its adaptability to different 

 uses has been demonstrated, the price of the land is computed from 

 the value of the coal it contains, whether -it exceeds $300 an acre 

 or not. 



REVIEW OF CLASSIFICATION. 



According to the regulations the classification of any land as coal 

 land is subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior, but the 

 person making the application for review must present facts that 

 show clearly and specifically that the land is not coal bearing in the 

 sense of that term as it is defined in the regulations. The facts set 

 forth in nearly all applications for review and reclassification of coal 

 land simply show that no coal can be seen outcropping on or close to 

 the land and that no coal has been found in drilling wells for water 

 on or near the land. Before such applications are filed request should 

 be made of the Geological Survey to state the basis of the classifica- 

 tion for a large percentage of the coal land has been classified as 

 such because it is underlain by coal at depths of 500 feet or more, 

 whereas the rocks at the surface contain no coal and may be of entirely 

 different age from the underlying coal-bearing rocks. Data presented 

 in a request for reclassification have determinative value only if they 

 differ from data already in the records of the Geological Survey. 



