The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-10-16
|Merry-GO-ROu

WASHINGTON, Oct 16-It wasn't publiczed, but at the last session of Congress the big Western cattlemen now withholding meat from the public also forced the American taxpayer to continue footing
 large part of the bill for feeding the Western cattle which he cannot now eat.
 About 145OOO0OO acres of public land in the Western states are open to ranchers under the U S. grazing service Ranchers permitted to turn their herds loose the public lands for nearly the entire year at cost of only five cents per head per month for cattle and cent per head month for sheep
 The grazing service, with force of only 400 men and budget of little over $1,O0O,000, has done valiant job of fighting erosion, keeping water ayaa- ble for vegetation and seeing to it that the land is in good condition for grazing.
 Total yearly rentals amount to about $850OOO with half going to the states in lieu of taxes and quarter to improvements the land. Thus, the tax payer has to pay the remaining fourfths of the cost of keeping the range in shape for the big cattlemen
 To offset this deficit grazing service officials have been trying to raise the rental Private and state lands, they point out, rent at from three to eight times as much. The American people they argue, should be permitted at least to break even on their public lands.
 At this point Senator "Heigh-Ho Silver" Mo Carran of Nevada came riding to the rescue. Mo Carran a member of the Senate's Public Lands Committee well of the powerful Appropriations Committee always sides with the big cattlemen and silver miners. So he rigged an investigating trip through the West and issued report disappearing any increase in the grazing fees.
 Meanwhile the grazing service got pinched from the opposite direction. Congressman Jed Johnson of Oklahoma-where the grazing service has few lands decided that the service should be put on self sustaining basis Unless the fees raised he held the grazing service budget would be curtailed
 This has happened.
 Coming top of the meat strike, this may be just the thing to convince the grazing service that is the time to increase grazing fees despite the threats of Senator McCarran. Already they have discussed the matter with Secretary of the Interior Krug who feels that, since cattlemen are keeping their stock on the range instead of sending it to market, they should at least pay reasonable price for the privilege of using the public lands for sit down strike.
 Secretary of State Byrnes called Secretary of War Bob Patterson the transatlantic phone to arrange for the Army to fly 268 delegates from Europe to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Acting Secretary of State Acheson will make very important speech at the Al Smith dinner today, warning the diplomats of the world that unless they heed the wishes of the people of the world for peace, the people of the world will pick new diplomats who will insure the peace of the world. President Truman's speech before the General Assembly of the United Nations will adroty emphasize Stalins recent statement supporting the United Nations and will urge the whole world to back the United Nations. While the United States is pulling British chestnuts out of the fire through out the world Great Britain is busy opposing equal