Show RANGE regulation SAYS COLTON don B colton congressman from utah and chairman of the public lands committee of the national house of representatives writes for the central press association as follows regarding a national policy towards public lands the question of the future of the public lands of the federal government will be one of the outstanding fundamental matters for consideration of the coming regular session of congress it Is my plan to take up the subject in the house committee on public lands as soon as it Is organized with a view to determining upon some permanent national policy toward the public lands my idea Is to have thorough hearings on the subject at which everybody who Is interested may be given an opportunity to set forth his views these heirigs should start oft off with the beginning of the december sessions representatives of the interior department or other agencies of the federal government representatives of the cattle and horse growers and end other groups interested will be invited to appear under the plan I 1 have in mind subject of course to the committees 3 approval it Is it my purpose to take hold of this matter seriously to give everybody a chance to ba be heard and to work out a dafin definite I 1 te permanent policy the lankof lack t a permanent national policy with respect to the public lands has resulted and Is resulting in a great deal of loss to the people of the united states unless something Is done by congress the real asset of grazing on the public domain wm win be completely dissipated in many states of the union I 1 haye traveled over a part of the public domain during the last year I 1 feel it la Is safe to say that the public lands of the united states are not producing 60 50 per cent of the forage they formerly produced in many sections they are not producing one third the forage they used to produce this is because overgrazing and the erosion of the land Is ruining much of its value in a few years many sections of our country will be in about the same condition as the lands are in china in russia and in the tle Pale stines the forest service has proven the wisdom of regulating grazing production of forage has greatly increased tinder under the supervision of the forest service which Is under the department in ent of agriculture the value ol 01 the land has been enhanced by that services regulation and the number of stock grazed has been increased now whether the states shall regulate it Is a question for congress tc to determine k |