The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-22
NO INCREASE IN
FEES CHARGED
Privileges on the For
est Reserves Will Remain
on the Old Basis.
STOCK GROWERS UNEASY
RuMOR AFLOAT THAT A RAISE
WAS COMING.
Special to The Herald.A


announces yhat no general increase will
be made in the fees charged for grazing
livestock on the national forests during
the present administration.
Rumors that general increase was
contemplated have caused some uneasi-
ness among western stockmen using the
national forest ranges according to adj
wees received here. The present fee,
says the forest service, Is generally rec
ogniZed as moderate. In point of fact
II is much lower than that which pri-
vate owners of grazing lands similar TO
those in some of the national forests are
charging. Most stOckmen are willing TO
accept the present situation. provided
they can be assured that conditions are
not going to be subject to a radical
change.
Would Exclude Small Owners.
The government does not believe in
charging stOckmen what it considers the
full market value of the grazing privilege
that is, in letting the use of the range
to the highest bidder and Crying to make
as much as possible out of the land TO
do so would be to place the range in the
hands of wealthy stockmen, to the eX-
clusion of small owners. In other words.
the government is not in the position OF
a landlord who seeks to realize the largest
possible returns from his holdings. While
there is no reason why those who profit
individually by making use of the ma
tiOnal forests should not help meet the
expenses of their protection, the forests
as sources of public benefit through
rightly regulated use. Much misdirected
criticism has arisen from the failure If
many people to understand this. Some
western papers, for instance, have re-
printed from the Congressional Record
the estimate of the forester of the capt.
talized value of the national forests, to-
falling some 81 400, 000, coo and have as
sumed that each of the general items
meant that the government proposed to
turn these resources to account by
system of charges. 1t can be stated au-
thOritatiVely that no such thing was ever
thought of. In their capacity to supply
water for irrigation. for instance, the
forests are immensely valuable and the
capitalized value of this use should be
considered by the government as trustee
for the public IN estimating how much
it is worth while to spend in order to
protect the water conserving capacity Of
the forests. But no return from the users
OF water for irrigation was contemplated
nor could any charge be made under ex-
listing laws.
Protection of Settlers.
Grazing stands half way between irri-
cation and numbering in the matter of
the propriety of the charge. When tim
Der from the national forests is sold it
is sold at the market price. Timber, as
Mr.. Pinchot said at the Denver conven-
forage on the range is not. To put up
at auction the privilege of grazing would
open those who have settled in region
and those who have a permanent inter
est in a particular range to what would
often be a ruinous competition, from no
madic cattle and sheep men. Stability
of the industry and protection of the
small settler who helps develop the coun-
try along permanent lines is of the first
Importance. To secure these ends the
grazing fee is put low. and the choice of
those allowed to use the range is made
along lines which recognize residents and
past users as having the first right.
Though no general advance in fees will
be made, some adjustment la the inter
est of fairness will result in certain To-
cal changes. On some of the new ma
tional forests a lower rate than ordinary
was fixed for the present season on ac-
count of the crowded condition and con-
sequent inferiority of the range. A slight
increase in fee will be made in such
cases as the ranges improve in cOndi-
ton and better service is given. This
will be simply to equalize charges on the
basis of the present rate and along the
lines of fairness. No increase will be
made above the standard prices fixed
this year for the different states.