Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-07-20

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as national parks and monuments
wildlife refugees and game ranges
and lands withdrawn for reclama-
ton, power development and Other
purposes.
Management ana disposal of Fed
eral lands, Of course, must be in
accordance with law and there is an
enormous body of law, decisions and
interpretations bearing upon the
subject. Sometimes, through con-
tiicting purposes and language, these
create difficult problems. Passage
of the Taylor Grazing Act in 1884
authorizing the Secretary of the
Interior to set up grazing districts
on public lands and provide for their
protection, administration, regula-
ton and improvement, necessitated
a major change in administrative
procedure. The current policy is
to dispose of public lands under
appropriate laws if they are found
suitable for the purposes contem-
plated by the statute. This involves
determining whether the disposal
would interfere with the primary
purpose of the Taylor Grazing Act
in managing the Federal range,
whether 1t would interfere with
Government activities authorized by
Congress or engaged in by the States
and local governments, whether the
disposal would subject the entryman
to undue risk Or result in him be-
coming a public charge, whether 1t
would intensity local governmental
problems by necessitating costly
services and whether the public in
tereSt would be better served by
granting a lease or use permit.
Basic Principles
Underlying the departments policy
in managing the lands and resources
in its care are three cardinal prin-
ciples. First comes the obvious
priority of the public interest,"
the recognition that these lands and
resources are the property of all
citizens and that they must be SO
managed as to give the greatest good
to the greatest number. Next, that
they be so managed as to conserve
and maintain the natural resources.
Finally, that the benefits, regardless
of their nature and to whom they
accrue, should exceed the costs.
The department applies democratic
principles in its management of the
public domain by securing the adj
vice and cooperation Of individual
users of the public lands, of their
associations and Of other Govern
ment agencies in the area. Frequent
hearings are held to adjudicate the
rights and privileges OF users OF the
public lands and appeals to the Sec
rotary OF the Interior from adverse
decisions of the various land admin
istering bureaus OF the department
Is permitted to all applicants for
privileges on public lands.
The most difficult Of the basic
principles of department. policy to
carry out in its details is that of
conservation and the maintenance
Of the natural resources on and OF
the land. This requires, at the very
start, determining what full use
is-that is the highest economic use
of the property and its resources to
bring the maximum benefit to the
country. Frequently land may also
be suitable for secondary use of
lower category. If it can be used
for both purposes, well and good,
but very often conservation for Its
highest use precludes lower-rank
use.
For instance, some Of the grazing
lands are timbered. 1t is possible to
utilize those lands for both grazing
and timbering, applying sustained
yield" principle of maintaining the
forest land, without serious con-