Arizona republican., 1902-02-19
The special dispatch from Wash;ns- ton which appeared in yesterdays Re-
 publican. conveyed the EXIT, first information to the THE SHEEP. people of the west con
 corning the new policy

corning the new policy | of the government as to the grazing of sheep within forest reserves. | It is declared 10 be the programme 1 of the department oI the interior to | issue permits for a limited number of 1 sheep in the Cascade. Washington. i Rainier. Unitah, Zig Horn and Gia reserves. The dispatch stated tk2t 2o0900 head would be permitted {, 70 main on the 'GilI ~a~esv- in Arizona. 5o,500 to De owual 3y settlers oa tn reserve" The uev. policy goes i@,o effect with the h-giaAir5 Of the ncN, fiscal year, July ]. -c92.
 There is no 'GIa" f5.eat Ieserye ! marked on the late7, sove-ame2t map of Arizona. the map i~-ucI v-itn t-a annual report cr tre governor or th. territory, which was IriatcI at Wash in"tou in recclnbe- last. The reserves were then known @s t!;- "r-aud ''-a- you." san Francisco. % ''I.r-rott.'' and. .'Black Mesa" III Of thcac rcssree= are ia ;he northern pert O th, terri tory, and within Jte so-lties ct Mo have. Coconiuo and Yavapai with the exception e the Black Mesa reserve. which is quite narrow in places. anu extends in soutaeastarIy directie2 rom the southera border cc the San Francisco reserve ia Co-onino county. l-aEf0- i- a very small portion of northern Cira county) across the routEera portions Of Navajo and Apache counties, tcr-li1ztitg ia Ora ham county. Tn Navajo and Apache counties the cverase width or this re- serve is hardly more than six miles, bet ia northeastern Graham county # takes in an area about twenty-four miles square. T. is not clear, there fore. from the dispatch. what is meant by the "Gia reserve il Arizona" I, beiaG the policy or the department to excIude sheep from all reserves cover ing watersheds which supply irrigated regions. if nay be taken for granted that grazing within the Prescott and Black Mesa reserves will be forb.dja.. since theee reserves cover a portion o: thc Verde and S2it river watersheds the wateretei i for each river being ar- rroEiuately e.0G) square miles.
 But it is clear that whatever may hc meant b- the 'C;.Il'' reserve. the sheep industry Of Ariz- no will soon DC a thing or the past. conp2rativ-l; speaking. since the 2cG.0o0 head for which it is proposed to grant permits c1mp-i-o but 9 small portion of th- sheep within the territory II is true that the returns to the territorial board of equalization for last year included o0r ;. s- known that the existing number was far greater. For instance. the census returns to the national government for the year previous eav. total of aD- rroxinayeIy 1.CGo,Go0 sheep in the ter rito-y. On account of the rniara trry na ture of the sheep business. immense flock ranging on the public domain crom one county to another. more than haIf of them escape au taxation. Ana the Gocks in the southern counties. out side thc forest reserves, comprise but small portion Of the total mum bcr. There were but G.f00 head in Co chise county. t6-o head in Pima county. 3.GOO head in PinaI county. none in Gla county. none in santa Cruz county, but 12.t32 in Graham county. and none in Yuma. returned for tax alton Iaet year. The 2.eOJ head re turned for raricoDa county were mostly migratory sheep from the for est reserves.
 Therefore, the r1eager number Of @Co. eco head permitted by the govern nent to remain in Ariscna-if. indeed that many are to be pe-ui:ted-win form but g remnant o- the vast Goclzs whose depreEations on the forest re- serves and upon cattle ranges caused the agitation which has resulted in driving sheep owners out Of business. If the department adhetes to the policy announced it will mean the practical extinction of the sheep bus mess in Arizona.
 The counties of Yavapai. CocoEiao, Navajo and Apache will be the prin- cipal losers in the matter of taXable assets. The loss will be more nominal than real. however, if cattl. are per mitted to take the place of sheep.
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 While the English at horne arc r1al7- ing ready for the coronation. the Eng fish in India are sirding themselves for another fight with famine The long