Arizona republican., 1913-01-13
RANGES MUST
 BE CONSERVED

manent Feeding Ground
 and Cheaper Beef. Says
 President JaStrO
 The proposed Lever land leasing bill. which will be before the Ameri- can National Live Stock association convention for discussion during the sessions which open in the audi tOrium of the Arizona School of Mu- sic tomorrow morning will not, ac- cOrding to the view taken by Presi- dent Henry A Jastro of the associa- tiOn, work against the small cattle raiser. Texas has had a lease law in effect in that state-the state owning all it's public lands-for number of years, and yet there are a number of small cattle raiSars leasing comparatively small ranges within the borders of that state. and for all this the cattle industry there is in a prosperous condition. Presi- dent Jastro arrived in Phoenix yes terday and will remain all week. In speaking yesterday evening of this important feature of the discussions he said:
 T believe the solution. largely. of the present cost of living lies not so much in free meat as it does in the scientific raising of cattle There are not as many cattle in the United States now as there were for the simple reason that an injudicious sys- tenn has prevailed for many years with the result that the ranges have been overstocked instead of con- served, and the feed for the millions of beef needed as the meat of the people of the country is gradually decreasing in supply instead of in- creasing.
 "A scientific system properly en- forced, would. in my opinion, save the open ranges, conserve them, pro- duce from them better cattle than are now being produced. as well as offering protection both to the large and small raisers, increase the amount of beef cattle for market. and to that extent lower the cost of living in the United States. 1 believe the solution of the problem lies in the federal control of the open graz ing land of the country, of the right 1 to lease land for grazing purposes so that more men, feeling the federal protection will be willing to invest , in the cattle industry and thus add to the wealth of the country The homesteader must, however, be pro- tected in this because we cannot do without him.
 With the ranges nf the west Oper | to whomsoever might put their cattle on them. overstocking has become the rule, so that there are numbers of cattle dying off every year for want of food and water. Wherever l a patch of grass becomes known the cattle are driven to that patch. re- gardless of the number it may sus . tain, and as q result it is all eaten 1 off close and tramped out. No re- seeding is done and in short time as a feeding ground the value of the place is nil. The contrast to this is the grazing land lying within the na- i tional forests which have been ad
 ministered with a view of sustaining as many cattle thereon as the grass i will feed, and no more. Why not extend such a system to all the open 1 grazing ranges and thus place the ' cattle industry upon Ilrmer toolinB than ever before and make it per { manent industry. instead of one that ebbs and flows with good and bad 1 years?"
 1 MT. Jastro, in company with Dwight B Heard, took an auto drive !. over the valley yesterday afternoon, and asked a number of questions relative to the barbecue at Granite Reef on Thursday, in which he ap-
 peared to be exceedingly interested. i When the whole matter was eX-
 plained he was intensely pleased and
 spoke of his pleasure that such a
 feature had been decided upon, when | talking to Republican representa-
 tive last night MT Jastro came to
 Phoenix first in 1870 and has been
 interested in her future ever since. He was pleased at the growth Of the
 city and it's Improvements and spoke
 in high praise of the valley as feeo-
 ing ground for the winter time Tor the cattle of the Arizona ranges.
 "The valley looks wonderfully we'll" he said last night Il do not know of time when I have been so
 pleased and delighted with q ride
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