, 1923-03-08

soclutlon Dy Mr.. John II. Hatton of
Denver, who has charge Of the grazing
department of the Forest Service in the
Rocky Mountain district. At the time
of the meeting last October the Sun was
unable to procure Mr.. Hatton's speech.
but a copy was recently sent to Ralph
III. Pearson, secretary of the Associa-
ton, and 1t is printed now for the ben
eft of the many stockmen of the val
ley who We're not in attendance ut the
Association meeting. Mr.. Hatton said
i am very glad indeed to be present
at this meeting. 1t gives me an oppor-
tunity quickly to make the acquaint-
ance of those 1 haven't met before
II that is the majority of you. | am
a great believer in getting together
once in a while. We perhaps don't do
it often enough. This is the chief
value of your live stock associations
and these meetings. They afford you
an opportunity of shaking hands, of
discussing each others problems, each
others successes-if there have been
any the past few years-and give you
n chance TO find ways of cooperating to
'NHt IL W Jul
best interests. They also give you a
chance to talk over any misunder-
standings, and if things have progress
ed that far, a chance verbally to settle
old scores, so to speak. After all, a man
can't live these days entirely unto him
self, and the sooner all of us realize
that the happier and better off we
will be.
Now, this is just as true of the For
est Service and its representatives as
it Is of anyone else. OF course. in the
earlier days the public opposed the
Forest Service on general principles.
1t was a new thing and people were
afraid of burdensome restrictions and
n multitude of things which seemed to
loom large, out which have melted
away like the fog before the sun. Peo-
pie couldn't be blamed in those days,
but, having watched the developments
from the beginning. I'm mighty glad
that the fundamental principles of
equity II business sense, upon which
the Service was founded and which
have been The big factor i'm perpetual
ing its existence, have been given by
the publfc's indulgence a fair trial.
individuals make mistakes-that is
hr,nnn-but l believe / can safely say
that few organizations have been more
open to correction and more ready to
conform to the needs of the public
which it seeks to serve than the organ
ization which some of us represent.
We hear occasional rumors of indi-
viduals who stand on the principle
that I'VE have got to fight the Forest
Service, anyway" whether right or
wrong. One rather well-known publ
cation. having exhausted every other
.atthAt hoe aAn,tI .hna.LnI tI. 80 49,
National Forest to National Hum
bug" The Service will own up If it
finds itself in the wrong, but l fear IL
al never complacently subscribe to
some things when the large majority
of the people know and we know bet
ter.
And so 1t takes no courage to stand
before an audience like this. or any
other audience of forest users. We
feel that we are more or less of one
mind and purpose, and in a position to
work out together our mutual prob
lens.
1t has been the experience Of the
Service that wherever cooperation
can be had with the users of the for
ests our grazing administration has
not only been simplified but strength
ened. There is nothing like confer
= hAthhh ~ ~ w a'
soclations, advisory boards, public
meetings or similar agencies to bring
about a better understanding of the
aims of the Service in adopting certain
regulations on the forests, and on the
other hand to bring forest officers, to
whom are entrusted the carry irs out
Of these regulations, into closer touch
with the real needs and Interests of
the stockmen themselves.
That the service fully recognizes the
Importance of this cooperation is full
ly shown by the fact that from the first
n regulation providing for the recOgni-
tion of advisory boards has been in
corporated in the grazing rules and reg
ulations. State II national associa-
tions are consulted with annually re-
garding matters which concern the
general welfare of stockmen using the
national forest ranges, hut the real
problems are solved on the ground
with local organizations and with
those with whom the forests come
most intimately I'm contact.
The Forest Service fully appreciates,
| believe, the important relation the
national forests bear to he produc-
ion Of beef. mutton, wool, pelts and
hides. Grazing is n large economic
factor which demands the earnest at
tention of the officers to whom the ad
ministration Of the national forests Is
entrusted. While only about % per
cent of the - or 40 million sheep In
the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast
states and n similar percentage of the
range cattle, actually use the Forests,
the importance OF summer range for
even that proportion Of the flocks and
herds In the mountain states cannot
a.. nkta -oNatlan ufvn1 Snmnar unfrn
and succulent feed are as essential To
the sheep and limb industries as is
water to the parched fields. The ma
tlonal forests control In considerable
measure the summer ranges of the
,rnai mud inst IN TINT nXInnI Ia nnr