80 



istration &quot;bringing policies and decisions close to 



the people and interests affected. 

 Fry: Do you think decentralization has helped to generate 



a broadly-based and continuous public support for 



the Forest Service? 

 Granger: Yes, indeed, it helped a great deal. 



Training 



The early-day rangers were inducted into the 

 Forest Service through a relatively simple examina 

 tion which required the applicant to have a rudimen 

 tary knowledge of surveying, timber cruising, the 

 livestock business, simple lumbering operations, how 

 to make simple maps and reports, and how to ride and 

 pack a horse and take care of himself in the woods. 



I recall giving such an examination in Denver 

 about 1909. After the written test Frank Sobey, 

 an experienced ranger, and I took the applicants to 

 a vacant area at the edge of Denver and had them 

 pack a horse. Some could, others couldn t. One 

 man finished packing and found he had quite a length 

 of pack rope left over, hanging to the ground. He 

 turned to Sobey and asked &quot;What do I do with this?&quot; 

 He didn t pass! 



