TENURE AND USE OF ARID GRAZING 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 
