Arizona republican., 1913-10-18
Former Chief Forester Gif- ford Pinchot Says Un- regulated Use of Grazing Grounds Decreases Feed and Raises Price of Cattle
VAST AREAS ARE
 NOW DESERT LAND
This is Because Without Supervision Ranges Have Been Destroyed by Put ting Cattle on Too Early in the Spring
Especial to The Republican, )

Especial to The Republican, WASHINGTON, D. C., oct. 19.-That the destruction of the public range as a result of unregulated use by cattle
 and sheep men, resulting in a decreased
 number of cattle, may have something i to do with the high price of beef, is the ! opinion of Clifford Pinchot, who, as chief forester, inaugurated the system of grazing leases on the national for ests in 1906.
 "One very important reason for the decrease in the number of beef cattle said MT. Pinchot today. "is the fact that the public range is constantly de- creased in carrying capacity owing to it's unregulated use and abuse. Vast areas of lands which formerly were covered with high grass suitable for grazing cattle are now practically des
 ert, because they have been OVergraZed and because the range has been de- stroyed by putting cattle on it too early in the spring, thus cutting up the young grass and preventing it's growth That the unregulated use of the range is slowly destroying it, is proved
 by the fact that on the national forests the number of stock is being gradually increased while the number is decreas- ing on the public range immediately adjoining 1t. The forest service inst tuted in 1906 the plan of granting graz ing permits to stockmen who wished to use the national forests for range.
 By limiting the number of cattle and sheep to the amount which the range in the forests is capable of supporting, I l1a a-f h1e al, fD serve and improve the range and now the cattlemen themselves admit the value of the policy.
 But western politicians, using the
 cry of state rights have so far been able to defeat the application of the same principle to the public range out side the forests. In 1908, the Burkett bill was drawn and introduced in con
 gress for the purpose of regulating the use of the public grazing lands. Hear i ings were had, but the bill made no ! progress. Last year there was intro 1 duced in the house the Lever bill | (draWn by the National Conservation Association for the same purpose The bill provided that the secretary ! of agriculture should have the right to i classify unapprOpriated public lands as grazing lands, and to establish grazing 1 districts reserved for that purpose.
 which should be grazed under permit
 at a nominal charge. The bill also had | this feature; 1t provided that just as | on the national forests, the stockmen should have a cooperative organiza- tiOn in each grazing district which | should help to regulate the apportion- | ment of the range and also act in an | advisory capacity as to its regulation
 The bill also provided that the United ! States bureau of plant industry should ] make studies with a view to improving
 the range.
 | But enough opposition developed to i defeat the bill. As result the public 1 ranges have remained unregulated. 1 Long abuse has impoverished them un-
 til they are now capable of supporting
 only about half the cattle they did formerly. Tn consequence the number
 of beef cattle has decreased, with re-
 sulting high prices to the consumer of beef. Besides carrying more cattle
 and sheep per acre than the adjoining public range, the national forest range also shows it's superiority in another | fashion Cattle from forest ranges are
 so fat and desirable that they can be
 picked out from other cattle at the
 stoekyards, and they bring much higher prices
 l That the stock raisers themselves are in favor of public regulation of the | range is proved by the fact that ',The
 American National Live Stock Associa- ton, which includes within it's organ ization big and little cattIemen from all over the United States. has endorsed the Lever bill. The opposition of self isl politicians who oppose any exten-
 ton of government power alone has
 served to prevent it's enactment. Their
 excuse for opposing it is that .it will
 prevent homesteading." But the very
 terms of the bill destroy their argu-
 ment. The one thing most carefully
 guarded against is any restriction on homesteading.
 of course cheaper cattle raising.
 does not necessarily mean cheaper prlces to the consumer. So long as
 price control rests in the hands of the
 beef trust other methods of controlling i the price to consumers must be used.
 But the raising of beef on the hoof at
 a moderate price depends very greatly
 on the abundance and quality of the