The Coconino sun., 1916-12-29


My Dear Mr.. Babbitt:
You have no doubt recently received
correspondence relative to the pro-
posed increase in the grazing fees on
National Forests until in 1919 the fees
will be double the present rate.
This / believe to be of vital import
ance and a question upon which some
immediate action should be taken.
From letter recently signed by
the Secretary of Agriculture, relative
to this proposed increase is the fol-
lowing:
"One of the leading criticisms of
the management of the National For
ests is that they are not self support
ing and are burden upon the Ma
tional Treasury"
Our National Forests areas were
originally withdrawn and are still
maintained to conserve the great ma
tural resources of the West. This has
placed the Government control beyond
individual exploitation, except under
Government regulation, unknown mil
lions of dollars in natural wealth
which is and will continue to be in
creasingly of vast Importance to the
nation.
In California there are Forests
withdrawn for no other purpose than
the protection of watersheds, on which
the grazing of live stock is such a
negligible factor that it could not be
considered.
In Florida areas have been with
drawn under Forest Service manage
ment to protect the turpentine indus
try.
In Oklahoma is Forest withdrawn
for the purpose of perpetuating the
Buffalo, and in the Northwest are
Forests withdrawn to conserve the
timber and on which practically no
stock Craze.
In spite of the fact that the Nation
al Forests were withdrawn and are
now maintained to conserve the great
natural wealth of the West, which
grows more valuable at tremendous
rate as time goes on and which is a
National investment of incalculable
value to the whole people;
In spite of the fact that the moneys
derived from grazing on the Forest
more than offsets the cost of its ad-
ministration;
In spite of the fact that there are
turpentine Forests in Florida, Buffalo
Forests in Oklahoma, Hardwood For
ests in the Appalanchian and Soft
wood Forests in Washington, in which
the stock man has no interest except
such as any other citizen, would have
yet they are asking the grazing per-
mittees to make up the fiscal def
ciencies on these forests from Palm
Beach to Seattle and from the Appa-
lanchians to the Pacific Coast and
that this is the purpose of this pro-
posed increase is most conclusively
borne out by the following quotation
from District Forester Reddington's
letter in support of this advance in
fees:
"The great criticism of National
Forest administration is that they are
not self supporting. This change will
make them So"
II the great Timber Forests of the
Northwest, the watershed withdraw
ais on which the grazing of live stock
is prohibited, that the water may NOT
be polluted nor the valleys flooded
and all the others that are not sell
supporting, are worth conserving and
maintaining, then this Great Govern
ment of the United States should bear
the expense of the maintenance OF
such units as are of no direct benefit
to specific communities, and the cost
of administering those units with
drawn for the benefit of separate
communities should be borne by those
directly benefited and not attempt tc
wiring from the meat producers of the
West this deficit under the guise that
grazing privileges on National For
ests are worth double what they now
are compared with the price paid or
Indian Reservations and private lands
thus placing the arbitrary value OF
the privileges with no more argument
or study in support of it than has SC
far come to light.
Relative to the "Bonus" paid or
stock using the Forests, this same
statement can be made to apply tc
the Public Domain, the Indian Reser'
vations and wherever stock are
grazed and when the time comes that
a bonus cannot be paid for located
stock over and above their market
value on board the cars period is
reached in the use Of that range