REORGANIZATION OF FEDERAL AGENCIES 157 



It recommended a change in the nation's policy of admin- 

 istering public lands based upon the premise that very little, 

 if any, whose title remains vested in the national govern- 

 ment is valuable for agricultural use. It can be used chiefly 

 for grazing purposes, and to that end a grazing policy 

 should be developed. The states, in the opinion of the com- 

 mittee, are the governmental agency to administer such 

 areas. 



The committee recommended, therefore, that areas of 

 public lands that could be used for the development of na- 

 tional forests, parks, reservoir sites, defense purposes, or 

 migratory bird refuges, in the opinion of the respective fed- 

 eral agency engaged in such work, be set aside and that all 

 the remaining public lands be granted to the states that 

 would accept them. In those states not accepting the grant, 

 some federal agency should be charged with the administra- 

 tion of the grazing area as a national range. 32 



The committee did not specify in what federal agency the 

 administration of the national range should be vested. It 

 did, however, approve of the manner in which the Forest 

 Service had handled grazing within the national forests. 

 Perhaps it might be suggested that if the grazing areas not 

 accepted by the states were of relatively small size the Forest 

 Service be given their administration, leaving the General 

 Land Office to safeguard the interest of the federal govern- 

 ment in mineral lands alone. 



Remaining Public Domain Bureaus: There are certain 

 other bureaus having to do with the public domain but not 

 in any way concerned with wild-life conservation. A brief 

 description of their activities is included at this point so as 



32 Many of the conservation groups strongly opposed the recommenda- 

 tion of the committee to vest title to grazing land in the states. See 

 article by the Secretary of Interior, Harold Ickes, "Land Planning," 

 Survey Graphic, February, 1934. 



