GRAZING FEES — GUARANTY PRICE ON WHEAT. 9 



erally do object to a reappraisal, but they do object to a reappraisal 

 being made until the end of the so-called five-year grazing permit 

 system. 



The Chairman. I read into the record the other day the Secre- 

 tary's letter. I do not care to go over that again, but it was not 

 even intimated that the rate Would continue for five years. 



Mr. ToMLiNSON. The Secretary gave the stockmen to understand 

 that the fee would not be disturbed during that period, but there 

 was no written guarantee and no contract. 



The Chairman. He did not give them to understand that in the 

 letter? 



Mr. ToMLiNsoN. Let me put it this way: Every stockman who 

 used the reserves interpreted the understanding that way, whether 

 correctly or not. 



Mr. TiNCHER. You do not believe that the Government should be 

 bound by an implied understanding with the head of some depart- 

 ment, unless it was fair to everyone concerned ? 



Mr. ToMLiNsoN. No; I do not. 



Mr. TiNCHER. Suppose the Department of Justice had a kind of 

 implied understanding with the packers that the consent decree 

 would probably end legislation and that they would be permitted 

 to live under the consent decree instead of there being legislation 

 to regulate the packers, you would not want Congress to be at all 

 embarrassed by that implied understanding? 



Mr. ToMLiNSON. Not in the slighest. "We are quite willing to stand 

 on the merits of our case. I do not want the committee to think by 

 any means that there was not a great deal of discussion and talk 

 by the Secretary of Agriculture and by Mr. Potter at the time that 

 this 100 per cent advance was put in effect. As is frequently the 

 case here in Congress discussion of any matter helps in determining 

 what was meant. The discussion that we had with the Secretary 

 has pretty indelibly fixed in the minds of the stockmen and some 

 of us people that there was an intent on the part of the Secretary 

 and the Forest Service not to disturb the fees during the five-year 

 permit system. 



Mr. E.AINET. You think that the Government should carry it out 

 in good faith? 



Mr. ToMLiNSON. That is the position of the stockmen and the 

 position to which I absolutely prescribe. 



Mr. Eainey. Regardless of whether or not the Government loses 

 a few dollars on the transaction? 



Mr. ToMLiNsoN. Yes, sir. 



I have been a user of the grazing on the Rio Grande National 

 Forest, in the sense that I am connected with a company which for 

 two seasons grazed 5,000 sheep on that forest. We decided, after 

 two years' experience, that we had enough of grazing sheep on the 

 forest and thought that it might be better suited for cattle. There- 

 fore we shifted out interests of grazing on that forest by putting 

 about 600 steers on the grass allotted to us, and after one year's 

 experience we are firmly of the opinion that we would rather run 

 our steers on rent-leased pastures than on the forest reserves. Per- 

 haps, in all fairness I should explain that it was necessary for us, 

 to get on this forest reserve from our land holding in San Luis 



