Weekly journal-miner., 1915-09-22
SAYS KENT BILL IS
 SOLUTION OF PROBLEM
(From Wednesdays DailyN

tize the stock industry, and use of the
 public grazing lands, President
 Dwight B. Heard, of the American
 National Live Stock Association, oi
 Phoenix, has contributed a deeply
 analytical article to the September is-
 sue of the American Review of Re
 views. MT. Heard's article. which
 was compiled here from information
 secured all over the west, is profusely
 illustrated with scenes on the ranges
 Of the new West.
 Of number of bills designed to
 stop friction between large and small
 stock interests, and interests of vari-
 ous sorts within this classification,
 Mir. Heard picks out the newly in
 troduced Kent bill, the product of the practical experience of Congressman William Kent, of California, as the most complete, just and reasonable. " Describing the bill, Mir. Heard
 says:
 "The Kent bill provides for the ere ation Of grazing districts on the un- reserved unappropriated public lands on proclamation of the president, full ly protects homesteaders and pros pectors in all their rights, authorizes the issuance of grazing permits in cluding the right to fence for not to exceed 10 years, and provides for the payment of fees similar to those paid in the national forests for grazing Twenty-Five per cent of such fees goes to the districts in which the grazing lands are situated, for the benefit of the public schools and pub lie roads in that section. In grant ing leasing permits, the priority of the present occupants of the ranges is recognized and provision is made for the creation of a local commit tee representing various classes of livestock, This committee in cooper ation with the officers appointed by the government, shall make a di- vision of the range between the diff ferent kinds Of stock to determine the number Of animals which can be safely grazed, and have the gener- al administrative handling of local matters always subject to the control of the government"
 Quoting Professor Thornber, of the University of Arizona, an authority of high standing on range grasses, Mir. Heard says:
 Build up these ranges as it is pos sible to build them up and we shall begin once more to ship beef pro- ducts out of this country instead of shipping them in. 1 sincerely believe that this is the greatest question be- fore the American people today and will make no exception.
 Tt affects both the East and the West, the consumer and the producer. It threatens the future economic pol icy of this country. It is all impor- tant to you stockmen. It lies with you to go before congress and de mand reasonable legislation"
 Concerning the matter of home steads on grazing lands, the subject touched in the other piece of legisla- ton mentioned in this article, the writer says:
 The Kent bill was introduced at the same time Congressman Harvey B. Ferguson, of New Mexico, intro duced what was known as the 640- l acre range homestead bill, which had | the approval of the department of the and finally passed the house. This bill provides that on such lands 1 as the secretary of the interior may designate as stock grazing land, the stock raising homestead of GAO acres may be made on land of such charac- ter that GAO acres of it will reason ably support a family. Cultivation is not required, but improvement of not less than SIPS an acre must be made on the land, one-half within three years from date of entry. The bill provides for considerable freedom in the selection of lands, and 1t Is be- ieved by its advocates that in a con- siderable portion of the West, it would be availed of quite largely. It at best, however, could be used only on ! small percentage of the vast graz ing areas. There seems to be no reason, however, why the principles of the two bills may not be com Dined, a general classification of all the public domain, promptly made, md this long discussed and vexed question reasonably settled"
 A strong point brought out by the writer is that Federal control of the -anges is not an experiment, as the success of forest range grazing, un Ter government supervision has proven. The real effect of the Kent pill, therefore, would be to convert Ill public domain on which there is 10 mineral or agricultural claims,