Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-07-16
LEASING Lands
FOR GRAZING
Bill Introduced 10 Congress
to Make This q
New Law

and many thousands of farmers ana Oth-
ers will hail with more than pleasur-
able a~nticipations the probable passage
Of a badly needed bill which has just
been introduced in the United States
Senate by Senator Gromna, of North Da-
kota, providing for the leasing Of pub
lie lands for grazing purposes.
AT present all persons are free to
Craze stock Oh public lands says Sen
ator Gronna to you correspondent, but
no one has exclusive right to the use
Of his range, nor can he enclose n part
of it. The result is that farmers whose
herds are SO small that it does not pay
to hire a herder are practically rre-
cluded from using the range, even when
they are not intimidated by the large
ranchers.' @''H '}' ''
Another result is''tl,at the. range is
often damaged by too early and too
close grazing; where the stockmen d.
not have exclusive use Of the land, they
have no incentive either to place i'm.
provements on the land, nor to conserve
the range.
Lands which it is expected will be
leased under this law are lands that The
too rough to cultivate, or are In localities
where the rainfall is too small to pro-
duce a crop il cultivated. The bill is
drafted with the purpose of encouraging
small holdings rather than large ones,
and Of placing as few obstacles in the
way of entering under the homestead
laws, the lands which homesteaders do
not enter at present, but which may be
taken later under changed conditions, or
changed methods OF agriculture"
Naturally, the new bill is a lengthy
one, for it is necessary to deal in detail
with quite a number Of important mat
ters incidental to it's manifold utilitar-
ian objects. In all it comprises no less
han sixteen sections. Divested of its
necessary verbiage, it may be summar
lied as follows:
Grazing districts shall be established
by the president by proclamation, and
after the expiration OF one year from the
date Of his proclamation, grazing on
lands within the districts shall be per-
mitted only under the provisions of this
act. "&'@f j. ~ '@'j ,''%
The law is to be administered by
the Secretary OF Agriculture, who shall
appoint a superintendent for each graz
ing district, Shall cause the lands to be
classified as agricultural and grazing
lands, and shall prescribe the maximum
area which n OF person may lease,
and the quantity of land which shall
be considere the area Of single range
homestead capacity-this to be an area
Of grazing land deemed equivalent, in
its capacity to support a family, to a
160-acre homestead.
Agricultural lands may be leased un-
der annual leases; grazing lands may be
leased for terms not exceeding five
years. . Until lands are classified, they
shall be leased as agricultural lands.
Wherever practicable leases shall give
exclusive pasturage rights. but. where
conditions make it necessary, they may
be made so as to give several persons
rights in a Community pasture.
Applications to make homestead en-
tries on these lands nay be filed at any
time, but settlement on the land Is not
permitted until the Tease covering the
land has expired, or has been cancelled.
"A homesteader, or owner Of land I'M
der cultivation, is given a preference
right to lease land, not exceeding the
area of single range homestead capacity,
within five miles of his land. A per-
son applying for a lease Of an area Of
single range homestead capacity is Civ.
en- a preference as against one apply
ing for q lease of a greater area. Sub
jcct to these preferences, a person oc-
cupying the land at the installation of
the leasing system or occupying it under
a lease Is given preference.
Assignments Of leases are not permit
ted without the approval Of the Sec
rotary of Agriculture, and assignments
resulting iii consolidating holdings shall
not be approved. A lease obtained by
fraud may be cancelled. a lessee may
surrender his lease by giving six months
notice. Or the expiration or cancella-
ton Of a lease the lessee has GO days
in which to remove improvements.
Lands containing coal, or other min-
erals, may be leased; but the lessee has
no right to mine the minerals, except
that he may take such coal as he needs
for his domestic use.
The rent to be paid for lands leased
is to be determined by appraisement;
it shall not be less than IL cent, nor
more than S cents per acre per annum,
except in the case of agricultural lands,