Show annual conference of 10 states stockmen Stoc kmen salt lake city utah december 21 2 UP the old west is passing and the taylor grazing act establishing strict control over the vast rangelands Tang elands of the last frontier fr antler is here to stay I 1 I 1 A those who doubted this fact saw its most powerful testimonial i at salt lake cites fash fashionable ionAl e utah hotel when bronzed aco booted te d stockmen stoc kmen from 10 western states met for their annual conference with government directors of the program the most extensive of its kind ever undertaken approximately 1000 stockmen stoc kmen many of whom have had herds running the public domain since the days when flaming six shooters settled priority attended the session when it was all ver high officials admitted they were relieved at the way things had gone instead of vociferous protests against grazing fees expected front from nevadas large contingent william B wright president of the nevada Catt lemans association emphasized that nevada is n nt t mn to use obstructionist tactics in challenging fee collections in a federal court suit instead he said nevadas stockmen stoc kmen realize necessity of a range conservation program and merely seek legal assurance that the program will safeguard local interests against future abuses generally also the grazing division had bad expected protests from individuals individual s who believe the act interferes with tates states s rights and the rights 0 o of the individual in another category were those large operators who for many years have combined railroad land holdings and water controlling privately owned land to exercise almost exclusive control over vast areas of the public domain to them the taylor grazing act holds threats of of their operations il i another type of stockman those owning inadequate base property whom nhom the government contends have been overstocking over stocking the public ranges for years also was expected to submit violent objections to provisions provision sr of the act which make it mandatory upon the grazing division to establish a system of proper land use thereby reducing herds in many cases come forward and the three day session resulted in little boore than a blanket endo endorsement rs of the act and its administration under grazing di reactor farrington R carpenter in fact so great was the acclaim of the hayden colorado stoc akmans administration of the act during its first two years operation that delegates applauded and passed by an unanimous vote a resolution calling upon president roosevelt to reappoint carpenter for a four year term had expected to bear the brunt of a heavy fire of criticism the only agencies enches beverly criticised criticized were state legislatures and eastern conservationists stockmen Stoc kmen indicated plainly that they will fight to make carpenter conceived district advisory boards and the resulting local autonomy a permanent feature of the range control program through congressional am endyk nt of the basic measure they continued on page 4 conference continued aron page 1 take pride in statistical proof that local autonomy s has worked desp despai I 1 ti the dire predict imi of the eastern simon pure conservationists who contend administration of the bests I 1 ranges should be concentrated in washington As a result of the conference there undoubtedly will be strong pressure brought to bear on state legislatures to return funds accruing fromi grazing fees to advisory advis orl boards for or range improvements the fees five cents a month for cattle and horses and one cent a month for sheep ind and goats now are divided 25 per cent to the department of interior 50 per cent to the various stats state legislatures and the err imagining Ima ining 25 per cent to advisory boards for application in the districts where money is collected from range users the legislatures may use these funds fund in any manner they see fit with the result as in colorado that they ire are diverted to school purposes and other U uses divorced from the range pro gram stockmen Stoc kmen are rankling under alleged injustices such as this which they contend constitutes double tax aaion utah is one of the states where livestock men probably will fight to have babe the ibe toncy money returned to them ford for imar improvement of their ranges to dater date t only nevada and oregon legislatures have returned the funds recommendations made in a resolution form forem by the grazing con bernce have berk ben submitted to sec of interior I 1 larold harold L ickes for inclusion in the 1937 program unless overruled in his office |