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Show NEW PLAN FOR GRAZING FEES In accordance with the plan recently unnounced by the Secretary Secre-tary of Agriculture, the I'nited States Forest Service ban completed com-pleted u study to determine the practicability of relating grazing fees on the National Forests to the market prices of livestock. After u thorough consideration of the question, tile Forester's recommendations re-commendations have been up-proved up-proved by the Secretary of Agriculture. Agri-culture. In announcing his decision de-cision today, the Secretary stated: stat-ed: "The price received by the producers pro-ducers during any one year appeals ap-peals to me as being a fair Index to use In the adjustment of grazing graz-ing fees on National Forest ranges. rang-es. Accordingly, upon recommendation recom-mendation of the Forest Service I have upproved the following! method of ud justing the grazing' fees beginning in 19 33: 1. That the average National! Forest grazing fees of 14.5 cents per head per month for cattle and 4.5 cents per head per month for sheep in effect during 1931 be used as the basis for making adjustments in the fees each year in accord with fluctuations ! in livestock prices. 2. That the grazing fees to be j paid each year on National Forests For-ests be adjusted so that the fees for any given year will bear the I same ration to the 1931 rate asi the ration which the average i joj Sd-.cis tUojsuj uoxaja ain the eleven estein States for thej year preceding the year for which the feis are to be adjusted bear to corresponding average prices during the period from 1920 to 1 932 inclusive in the case ofj sheep .and during the period! from 1921 to 1930 inclusive ini the case of cattle. I 1 3. That the cattle fees to be1 paid each year be adjusted on the basis of prices received for: beef cattle as compiled by the; Hureau of Agricultural Econom-j ICS. 4. That in adjusting the graz-; ir.g fees for 193 3 in accordance, with the provisions of the preced-; ing paragraphs. 4.13 cents be considered the average price per pound of beef cattle for 1932, j and 4.1S cents the corresponding, price for lambs; that the average fee for 1933 as thus determined ( will be 9.05 cents per head per month for cattle, or 37.6 per cent, le.-s than the average cattle fee determined by appraisal. For! sheep the average fee in 1933. w ill be 2.0 5 cents per head per j month, or 5 4 per cent less than the average sheep fee determined, by appraisal. j 5. That the Forester be auth-, orized to refund any amount co!-j lected for the year 1933 in ex- cess of the adjusted fee, or to; apply any such excess to the payment of any fees due or to be due, and to collect such addition-i al payments as may be required! to secure full payment of the fees as adjusted for the year 1933. 6. That no adjustments in fees be made when the application of the above formula would affect the fees by less than one-half cent for cattle and one-quarter cent for sheep per head per month, and that in the establishment establish-ment of all fees they be rounded off to the nearest cent for cattle and the nearest quarter-cent for sheep per head per month. 7. That the Foreister be authorized auth-orized to make such adjustments from time to time as may be necessary nec-essary to establish equitable fees between allotments. Forests, Regions, Re-gions, or States. In"arriving at these conclusions, conclu-sions, the Secretary and the Forester For-ester had the benefit of the advice ad-vice of Mr. F. E. Moll in. Secretary Secre-tary of the American National Livestock Association, and Mr. F. R. Marshall, Secretary of the National Na-tional Wool Growers Association. In commenting upon the subject the Secretary further stated: "Much consideration was given to the selection of a period over which the average prices of livestock live-stock could be accepted as a fair base. In reaching a conclusion on this point, periods were selected select-ed which would represent, in the opinion of various members of the Department, fair cycles in the sheep and cattle industries. It is believed these periods will appeal to the average stockman as fair and equitable and warrant war-rant his support of the Department's Depart-ment's efforts in adjusting fees in the interest of all concerned. "It is, of course, understood that to be fair to the public and stockmen the method must operate op-erate to increase the grazing fees as -livestock prices increase. In the event of a decline in livestock prices, necessary reductions hi fees will follow." To avoid complications and misunderstandings in the future, the Secretary emphasized the point that the plan for adjusting fees would be applied in a broad way and no attempt made to ad-Just ad-Just fees on account of local conditions. |