The San Francisco call., 1909-06-13
LIMIT STOCK IN
NATIONAL FORESTS
Government Officials Apply Sys=
tenn Designed to Protect Both
Large and Small Owners
Big Herds Reduced to Give New
Settlers Opportunity to
Let Cattle Craze

WASHINGTON, June 12.-There is
probably no policy connected with the
administration of matters upon the
national forests that comes closer home
to the stockmen than the system under
which the number of stock each man
may Craze is determined by the super
visors
With the rapid increase in popula-
tion of most of the western states, the
demands for grazing privileges upon
the national forests, especially from
the men interested in sheep raising, in
crease every year. The new settlers
locating the country adjacent to the
national forests are nearly all desirous
of entering the stock business either
as cattle raisers or sheep growers
In order that they may more success
fully handle their stock they apply to
the forest service for a permit to enter
the nearest forest, which very likely,
Is already stocked to its fullest capa-
city The question then before the su-
pervisor. with whom the applications
are fled is how to accommodate these
new settlers without injury to those
who are already occupying the ranges
1t has been the consistent policy of
the service to take care of the new
men just as far possible without
too greatly restricting those already
! using the ranges, and in order to do
| this it has been necessary to reduce the
number allowed the larger men on a
pro rata basis in order to give the new
men an opportunity. These reductions
/ are made only after a full considera-
! tion of the conditions surrounding each
] permit and every effort is made to
! carry out the system with as little in
! jury to the individual stockman as is
J possible.
/ The result of this system Of reducing
! the larger owners in order to admit the
| new settler is that many of the owners
/ of large numbers OF stock are contin-
ually appealing to the forester against
/ the cutting down process, claiming
/ they are being injured in their bust
/ ness and deprived Of their rights as
citizens to increase and build up a le-
/ gitimate industry On the other hand
/ some of the little men are equally per-
sistent in their appeals for further rec
ognition than that already allowed
/ them In handling this matter the for-
est officers must act as fair and impair
tial judges for both classes.
There is one fixed and immuta BILE
/ point in this entire proposition which
( can not be changed except through i'm
/ provement of the ranges, and that is
| the number of stock which a given
! area will ordinarily support. When
! the forest ranges are carrying the full
/ number of stock which they safely can
the only thing that can be done to meet
| the demand from new settlers is to
reduce the number which any one man
can range and give the new settler the
1 benefit of this reduction.
/ In order that the larger holders may
not be too seriously reduced from year
to year they are guaranteed that they
will not be reduced below a certain
point, and the new owners are restrict
/ ed to a certain esta bHshed number to
begin with and allowed TO gradually
! increase their number from year to
year until they have reached the limit
which is set for any one man or COM
pany. In this manner the reduction
is spread over several years and the
larger owners are given time to meet
It. But the small men are quite as
insistent that they are being discrimi-
mated against are the larger men
because many of them claim that In
stead of starting at the low figure
/ they should be allowed to enter the
forest If they wish with a number
equal to the full limit which would
result in making the annual reductions
on the large holders several times
/ heavier than they are under the pres