Show r Pern jern Protests i. i U. U S. S Transfer Of Public Lands Tells Tells House Group That Tha Capital Misinterprets Western Views HITS SURFACE RIGHTS RIGHTS' I Declares Plan Would Make Mak States Mere Colonies' Colonies B Br El Associated Fress WASHINGTON WASHINGTON 13 Governor 13 Governo Dern of Utah toda today protested to th the house public lands committee against Secretary Wilbur James R R. Garfield Garfield Gar Gar- field and others using a resolution passed by western governors as proof the states were willing to accept pub lie lic lands Dern said Utah was not willing to accept the land and He read letters from Governors Rolph o of California Hunt Hun of Arizona and Ross of ot Idaho agreeing agreeing agree agree- ing with him that the attitude of ot the wes ern states had hd been m sc in Washington ton The governors' governors indorsement of the work of ot President Hoovers Hoover's public lands commission Dern said slid had hac merel merely been praise of the study and acceptance of the plan of giving the states stales the option of taking over the theland land SCORES INTERPRETATION It was in no sense an indorsement of oC the idea we want to accept theland the theland land said Dern The public lands committee has not no not yet opened hearings on tlc the bill for tor turning burning the public domain over to the he state but Dern was allowed to tomake tomake tomake make his statement on it while he happened to be in the east cast Chairman Evans Democrat Montana Mon Mon- tana ana explained the bill had been deferred deferred de de- de- de because of important import economic measures pending The Utah governor scored governor especial especial- ly y the idea of turning over only surface surface sur face rights to the states MERE COLO COLONIES HES It is proverb proverbially alb impolite to look looka a gift horse m in n the mouth said Dern but one ma may wonder whether it isa isa is ts tsa a fine large horse or a fine large white elephant Dern said one of or the prices the tales states would have to pay for their lands ands was poss possible ble sacrifice of federal federal fed fed- eral reclamation and the thc prospect of the he state having to build its own projects He said the theory that the government govern govern- ment meat owned the natural resources of western vestern states reduced the public lands ands states to mere colonies OFFERS BROAD POLICY Questions by the committee brought out the fact the idea a of turning the lands ands over to the states originated with vilh the present administration and that hat President Hoover appointed the commission to lo study it it Replying to a query from Representative Yon Democrat Florida Dern said aid he believed as a broad policy the he states would be willing to admin admin- Ister ster the land j if all rights were in included in in- eluded in the transfer A second price the states would pa pay Dern said was reduction in federal highway aid Other prices he added included Probable discontinuance of the biological bio bio- logical survey control o of predatory predator animals I Setting up of or extensive administrative tive ive machinery by the states stales Adjusting interstate complications on grazing I repeat we do not want those lands Continued on Pare Page Two I 4 t. t s 4 DERN BATTLES BA TILES LAND TRANSFER Continued From Pace Pue One especially if it they are gone over with another tooth fine comb as this bill provides said Dern All we would take over is the skin of or a squeezed lemon Dern said he acceded to the governors governors governors' governors governors' gov gov- resolution last October in ih Portland as the decent thing to do others should I I saw no reason why not be allowed to take these lands if they wanted to he saidI saidI saidI said I have since become opposed to state option because grazing and watershed wa Wa- are arc interstate mat matters rs ASKS REHABILITATION Dern added however he did wish a rehabilitation policy to be declared on the public e domain Representative Smith Republican Idaho said Representative Colton of ot Utah had a bill pending to declare a public policy of grazing conservation Representative Arentz Republican Nevada said he might as well announce announce an an- that he took the same attitude attitude atti attl tude on the questions as the governor of Utah Utah that that his state did not want to take over its lands Arentz has introduced Introduce f a bill for community ranges in Nevada |