138 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



This gloomy outlook was undoubtedly due to the large number of 

 administrative changes which were being made in the interest of 

 improved administration, but which made it exceedingly difficult to 

 deal with the public (particularly in grazing matters) which were as 

 yet unaccustomed to these innovations, nor had the Forest Service 

 learned certain weaknesses common to the western sheep and cattle 

 growers. 



In the same letter Breen stated : 



"I had considerable of a visit from Inspector "B' for a couple of days. He 

 took the blame for the mixup in rangers' salaries and from his explanation, I 

 could see how I could have made the same mistake. Whatever 'B' knows, it 

 makes a fellow feel better to have some one like him come along and I believe 

 he is a very good sort of a fellow." 



Evidently the disputes. as to scale were being straightened out. 



"Old 'D' was in today and said the scale was all right, that they only got a 

 little the worst of it, but were satisfied in a general way. Think of that for a 

 revolution !" 



One of the causes of the early friction with "D" was the rule that 

 the amount allowed for defect must be written in crayon on the large 

 end of each log. Since the scale is really an average for a large number 

 of logs, it is inevitable that mistakes should be made here and there, 

 which the timbermen can pick up and grumble over. This order was 

 reversed within a few months of its inception. 



Evidently Breen was not satisfied with his rangers, for he wrote : 



"I have not had a chance to take up the 'H' matter. . . . He has had his 

 last chance to make good and I am about convinced that he is no good all round. 

 'D' was no good ; he resigned. 'L' of the Black Mesa I fired. 'S' of the Grand 

 Canyon I suspended and asked for his dismissal ; allowed 600 head of cattle to 

 pass for 300 all last season ; too lazy to look them up. G"ess I'm getting sort 

 of peevish and won't stand quite as much as I used to. Too busy to bother 

 with damn fools and them air kind. . . . Don't worry about me. I honestly 

 think it would be a great relief either to get fired or quit." 



The next day Breen wrote : 



"If my letter of yesterday was some gloomy, forget it. Have had troubles 

 of my own. . . . Have a tree planter here. Am going to start a nursery 

 up near the city reservoir. So will now talk to him." 



From an undated letter, presumably in October, or the end of 

 September, lOOf). it is evident that the timber sales were not going as 

 smoothly as might be desired. 



