TENURE AND USE OF ARID GBAZING LANDS. 61 



or under certain conditions the colonial government itself buys the 

 improvements at reasonable valuation. 



It should be recognized that the permit system of management is 

 but temporary, being adapted especially to the present status of the 

 range business. It is believed that under a properly limited use of 

 this system the tenure question will gradually solve itself with the 

 minimum disturbance to the productivity of the land. In other 

 words, if properly restricted legal right to the control of the land 

 now used be given the present users, carrying with it the right to 

 fence wherever they wish to do so, and if suitable protection of their 

 property rights in all improvements made by them be assured, a 

 temporary subdivision of the land would result which would give the 

 best present adjustment. Periodic readjustments should be pro- 

 vided for. Such an arrangement would not keep out the properly 

 qualified homesteader, but would tend to restrict him to areas on 

 which he could hope to succeed in his farming operations, without the 

 losses that now occur. One of the best recommendations for such a 

 system is found in the fact that its establishment does not necessarily 

 interfere with the subsequent disposal of the lands under some other 

 plan if a better plan were evolved. 



Assuming that the lands should pass to private ownership, with a 

 permit system in effective operation, consolidation by exchange or 

 sale would be effective in regions where small areas of public land are 

 scattered among large areas of private lands. Where thousands of 

 acres of land so distributed are held by corporations or individuals, 

 and it would not be wise to allow them to purchase more, the exchange 

 method would apply. For the consolidation of holdings of reasonable 

 size, sale of the scattered parcels of public land would doubtless be 

 the most convenient method of disposal. If public ownership of 

 the land be retained, for any reason whatsoever, such scattered small 

 acreages of land could be managed most easily under restricted 

 leases. Wherever development has brought about an adjustment that 

 approximates what is desirable in the sizes of holdings, a restricted 

 lease law would apply. Under such conditions it would have the 

 advantage of costing less than any other form of governmental 

 administration and would retain sufficient supervisory control to 

 insure development. 



At present, most of the remaining unreserved Government lands 

 occur in large areas, with scattered State and private holdings inter- 

 spersed. Many of the use holdings are so large that subdivision is 

 now or will become necessary to assure the best ultimate use. For 

 lands in this condition the permit system is believed to be the best 

 form of management. It is evident that the methods of exchange 

 and of sale have very restricted application, and should be used with 

 great care. Such application might easily be made within an area 



