Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1918-01-06
DANGER IN THE.
64O-ACRE ACT.
REAL IN IDAHO
Stockmen Claim Vast Ma
jorities of the Entrie
Made Purely for Purpo se
of Speculation.
Cattle and Sheep Growers
on Friendly Terms at the
Meeting of the Former at
Idaho Falls = Important
Matters Considered.

Range conditions, the $40 acre
homestead menace to the stock in
dustry and the liquidation of std lex to
meet conditions. thus making it i'm
possible for farmers to sell the al mount
of hay raised by them on the irr[ gated
tracts, were the principal subjects dis
cussed at the meeting of the Idaho
Cattle and Horse Growers association
at Idaho Falls, according to Hugh
Sproat, president of the Idaho Wool
Growers association, who, with Jack
Skillern, vice president, Ex-Governor
Gooding and a number of sheepmen
from the southeast, were in attend
ance.
Mr.. Sprcat arrived home Saturday
from the convention and declares that
the most harmonious feeling exists be-
tween the members of the two asso-
Citations and that most of the discus
sions were devoted to range conditions
which now confront the stockmen.
ENLARGED HOMESTEAD ACT.
lie states that from the b. st advices
obtainable II is understood THAI all the
claims unuer the 6iO-acre hom, stead
entries are to be allowed and both in
duStrIss realize what this will mean
10 the live stock business and to the
state at large. 1t seems to be the gen.
eral opinion he stated, that "A large
majority of those entries We're not for
bona fide stock grazing purposes, but
"a n nt II n, nT a, I'd t,
the highest bidder as early as pos
sible. Stockmcn, says Mr.. Sproat, do
not think this condition should be al
lowed to come about, as it will ulti-
mately lead to monopoly of the
range by the larger outfits. Both in
dustries, he declares, propose to wage
a determined fight TO have ali the re-
naming public domain brought under
federal control and preferably under
the forest service, for the reason that
stockmen have found that the forest
service has shown a disposition to be
fair with all industries alike. Under
that system. he says, the small grower
has an equal chance with the larger
grower.
BIG SURPLUS OF HAY.
1t was pointed out at the convention.
said Mr. Sproat, that it was feared
the people of the state as a whole
failed to realize the danger of the
s4O-acrc grazing entry. There is I'M
ioubtedly, he states, a large surplus
of hay in the state. due in the first
place to a considerable amount of live
stock being shipped from the state
and secondly to the mild winter, and
ii is claimed that probably a third of
the hay will be carried over unless the |
spring should prove an exceptionally I
hard one. Reports made were to the
effect that there is grass all over the |
range, stated Mr.. Sproat, which means
that stock can be turned out as soon
as the snow goes, should any snowfall T
occur.
If the 640-acre entries are allowed |
il will mean so much less range, eX- |
planned Mr.. Sproat, and consequently |
more liquidation of live stock during |
the ensuing year. which finally leads
up to the farmers on large irrigation |
tracts, who depend upon the live stock
industry for the sale of their hay and
therefore have a personal interest in
the large homesteads. The market of
these farmers is already curtailed by
unfavorable range conditions, 1t is
said and the larger owners propose to
liauidate to a point where they will !
be less and less dependent on the |
public range and consequently the de- |
mand for hay will decrease accord
ingly. Therefore it is to their inter
est to protest against the 640-a act |
just as much as it is to the interest |
% the live stock industry.