52 
ural way to decide between two or more persons competing for the same 
right is to grant it to the highest bidder. Doubts of the suitability of 
this method were confirmed by conversations with various people. The 
unanimous verdict was that such a proceeding would tend to put the 
grazing lands in the hands of a small number of large owners who could 
afford tou pay a higher price than owners of single bands. 
Asa result of careful consideration the plan of permitting the sheep 
owners themselves to parcel out the range suggested itself. It was 
found that in each of the three counties concerned—Crook, Wasco, and 
Sherman—there exists a woolgrowers’ or stockmen’s association, the 
original object of which, it appeared, was chiefly mutual protection of 
their sheep against coyotes and other wild animals through the pay- 
ment of bounties raised by subscription or tax among the members of 
the association. A committee or commission of three, each represent- 
ing one of these county associations, would be thoroughly competent to 
divide the range, and could do it both more equitably and with less objee- 
tion from dissatisfied owners than could any officer or officers of the Gov- 
ernment. This commission could meet at a time and place duly adver- 
tised, receive the written applications for range, adjudicate conflicting 
applications, and make recommendations accordingly to the Interior 
Department. This plan answered the last objection brought forward 
against the system. 
ADDITIONAL DETAILS. 
Other details of the system may be briefly mentioned. The permit 
should be for a definite number of years, sufficient to give the permittee 
an interest in maintaining the range in good productive condition from 
year to year, and on the other hand it should not be for so long a period 
as to prevent new men from coming into the business. A permit 
period of five years with a provision for renewal appears to be the most 
satisfactory. 
Failure on the part of a permittee to occupy a range before the 
expiration of a reasonable period, say by the 1st of August in any 
year, without due explanation, would cause the permit to lapse and 
the range to be again open to application and thé granting of a 1ew 
permit for the rest of the season and the re:naining portion of the orig- 
inal term. This would prevent any owner from wasting the resources to 
which he might have an exclusive right. 
Tiie suggestion has been made by a citizen of Oregon that a sheep 
owner, as one of the requisites for obtaining a permit, should give a bond 
securing the Government against destruction of the timber by fire. 
This provision, however, would be a hardship in many cases and should 
be adopted only as a last resort. Another provision, the adoption of 
which is worth considering, is the exclusion of sheep for a period 
of several years, or until the seedlings are too high to be trampled, 
from any piece of forest land hereafter burned. The object of this 
would be: first, to allow the seedlings to get a good start; secondly, 
ALSO PPO 
