Williams news., 1906-01-20

per acre is too great for the first few years of such a lease, although it might later afford this or a much higher rental.
 But we do not favor making it obligatory for the cattleman, in or der that he may graze cattle on the unenclosed public lands of the ter ritory, to lease land or obtain grazing permit and pay fee or rental. The opportunity and priv ilege of leasing, fencing and i'm proving would be taken advantage of gradually as the individuals themselves would be able to find the means to avail themselves of the opportunity. And any sweep ing laws or regulations applying to the matter on the date of passage, would force the weaker ones to the wall and hing ruin and disaster to the individual now engaged in the grazing industry.
 Fourth-Such leases could be issued by the present land office officials after due application and advertisement, conditioned upon certain essential requirements with in the ability of the ordinary ap- plicant, at comparatively small ex- pense; and we favor this method on account of it's simplicity and economy.
 Fifth-The net revenue from such leases should be devoted to supply ing and distributing seeds and for age plants, and experimental work in the propagation of such seeds and plants; and if more than suffi- cient for this purpose, then to the development of water supply on the public lands.
 Sixth-It is impossible for any administrative official to estimate and fix proper maximum number of head of live stock which might be safely grazed within certain definite area during a certain defi- mite period, because during one season a certain district might easily support 10000 head, while in the season immediately follow ing 100 head might starve to death. It is purely matter of rainfall which no official is wise enough to foresee.
 The safety of the cattle grower, therefore, lies in providing himself with reserve pasturage or feed suffi- cient to keep his animals alive and strong enough to breed during the season of drouth, which has always and must inevitably come. If the total number of head allowed to graze on the public domain in Ari- zona were kept within the range support during a season of drouth the number would be so small that the industry would not be worth attention; and there would be no opportunity to expand or increase the number to fit the improved con- ditions of a good year before the good season had already gone by.
 Reserve feed or pasturage neces- sarily implies that same must be enclosed under fence in order to preserve it from being consumed until such time as it is most needed. We favor encouraging this relief and resource, by opportunity and privilege; but do not favor coercing the present owner in immediate undertakings and burdens which his present personal resources can not at this time afford.
 We think that the area permitted to be leased to each individual should be based on an estimate of what is necessary to support fam fly; and that is quite variable in Arizona Classification of the lands should be accomplished in order that the leasehold may be made larger where the lands are inferior.
 Probably a maximum of three miles square, or nine sections of land, would afford reasonable en- couragement for fencing and inn