208 ANNUAL, REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



while the public can obtain lands suitable for permanent forestry 

 without drain upon the Public Treasury. 



There is no similarity between the forest exchange act of March 20, 

 1922, and the notorious lieu selection act of June 4, 1897. The latter 

 conferred on owners of private lands within the national forest 

 boundaries the right to surrender title to the Government and take 

 other lands of equal area, without regard to wide discrepancies in 

 value which almost invariably were grossly unfavorable to the public 

 interest. Acceptance of the exchange by the Government was man- 

 datory, not discretionary, so that there was no way to prevent lieu 

 selections against the public interest. Because of these provisions, 

 the act became an instrumentality of spoliation of public resources 

 to such a degree that its repeal, on February 1, 1905, was a belated 

 correction of a crying scandal. Under the act of March 20, 1922, 

 the authority to make exchanges is vested jointly in the Secretary of 

 Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, thus g<Uaranteeing 

 interdepartmental consideration of all proposals. There is absolutely 

 no statutory obligation to approve or even consider exchanges dis- 

 advantageous to the public interest. Furthermore, all exchanges are 

 based upon absolute, carefully determined equalities of value, area 

 being purely of secondary consideration. Private acquisition of 

 highly valuable public properties in exchange for lands of little or 

 no market value thus becomes impossible. 



The Forest Service, in administering the provisions of the general 

 exchange act, has primarily in view building up the timber-growing 

 resources of the national forests. Increased facility of administra- 

 tion and better protection from fire or other sources of damage are 

 often valuable benefit but do not receive primary consideration. 

 Under no circumstances are exchanges approved for the benefit or 

 convenience of owners of private land, and a positive showing of 

 clear-cut benefit to the public interest is required before any exchange 

 is given serious consideration. The attitude of the Forest Service in 

 approaching and in handling this exchange work has been one of 

 great caution and conservatism. No effort has been made to inaugu- 

 rate extensive exchanges under the act, but attention has been 

 mainly given to a careful study of the situation on individual forests 

 and to the preparation of detailed plans whereby the exchange work 

 can be directed along the best lines. ^ 



The work of classifying the national forests under the act of March 

 10, 1912, has been completed except in the forests in Alaska, but 

 areas upon which classification was suspended pending the removal 

 of valuable timber resources or lesser areas where new developments 

 in agriculture necessitate further consideration of the existing classi- 

 fication will require reexamination from time to time. A number of 

 cases of the latter class were handled during the year, resulting in 

 the listing and opening to entry of some additional areas of national 

 forest land. Practically all lands of agricultural value the retention 

 of which is not required in the public interest have been opened to 

 entry. Further corrections in the classification will necessarily in- 

 volve very small parcels of land, useful in most instances only in 

 connection with adjoining lands in private ownership. 



Almost all claims initiated under homestead laws other than the 

 act of June 11, 1906, have now been patented or relinquished. The 

 location of mineral claims under the mining laws continues uninter- 



