Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-06-04
LAND COMMISSIONERS
ANNUAL REPORT
1t is a Very Valuable and Important Pub
lie Document That Gives Statistics of
the Disposition of Public
Lands in 1901.
4 SPLENDID SHOWING is MADE FOR THE
TERRITORIAL BOARD OF PUBLIC LANDS

y New Mexico, for the year ending De
cember 81, 1901. has been printed by tn
New Mexican Printing Company. 1t i
neatly printed and well arranged
pamphlet of 42 pages, which in addi
tion to giving interesting statistics a.
to the disposition of the public lands o.
the territory of New Mexico, and wei
commissioner also gives the rules ant
regulations of the Interior Department
for making selections of lands under
the Act of Congress of June 21, 1898
and Act of the Legislative Assembly
establishing a board of public lands.
prescribing it's duties and providing for
the sale, leasing and management of
public lands, as amended by Chapter
90, Laws of 1901, and is therefore of
special interest TO all leasers and in
Mexico.
In conclusion OF his report, Commits
| sioner Keen makes the following re-
marks and recommendations:
| The past year has been very gratify-
ing when one considers the number of
applications received and leases award
ed for school sections 16 and SO, partic-
ularly so when results thus far attained
are compared with statistics of CORE.
spending years of other states and ter
rtoral land boards.
There are on file in the department
of the interior at Washington 211 leases
awaiting the approval of the honorable
secretary of the interior, representing
rental Of $6,24045; and there are 27
incomplete applications on file in this
Office representing rental Of s7O9.20,
making an aggregate unapplied rental
of $694965. The commissioner Of the
general land office assures us that
same will be promptly acted upon at
an early date.
1t is Of vital Importance to our ter
ritory that the present congress should
be appealed to for additional grants of
land and the eliminating of certain ad-
restrictions contained IN
the congressional act of June l, 1898,
as follows:
First. The maximum amount of land
which may be sold or leased to one in
dividual should be eliminated.
Second. The restrictions relating to
the sale of university lands should be
abolished. This worthy institution, like
other educational institutions, should |
receive the immediate benefits to pc J!
derived from the sale Of lands granted
to tho ter,itar7, for its use, as It's de-
mands for available funds aae as ur- |
gent as other territorial educational in
stitutions.
Third. The down, mature and large
growth timber on any of sections l6 ana
36, and other territorial lands, should
be subject to sale, under like conditions
established by the interior department,
Which govern the cutting of timber on
sections adjoining and sur
our territorial lands.
Fourth In view of the fact that
there are about fifty-five million acres
If public land within our territory, ana
The large tracts of land grants, and
lands disposed Of by the government
both being necessarily the best of our
territorial lands, and at this time,
when large companies are petitioning
congress for millions of our acres near
he Texas border, together with the dis
position on the part of the department
If the interior to create forest reserva-
ions and extend their limits so as 10
include large areas of grazing lands
without a vestige of timber thereon
would earnestly recommend the follow
nr increase of the grant of June 21st
1898, that New Mexico. as state, Will
then, at least, receive the same gener-
,us treatment that our more fortunate
leighbors experienced when they were
admitted to the privilege OF statehood:
University, 100000 acres; Agricultu-
al College, 100000; Water Reservoirs,
or irrigating purposes, 5,OOO,0Oo; I'M
of the Rio Grande In New
Mexico for irrigating purposes, l,0OO,-
100; Improvements of the Pecos River
n New Mexico, for irrigating purposes,
ZOO. 900: Improvement of the San Juan
River in New Mexico. for irrigatlng
purposes, 100000; Insane Asylum, 5OO,-
400. School of Mines, 100000; Deaf and
Dumb Asylum, 100000; Reform School,
zoo, 1000; Normal Schools, 100000; Insti-
ute for the Blind, 100000; Miners Hos
,ital, 100000: Military Institute. 100000;
oenitentiary, 100000; For the purpose
If erecting public buildings at the
capital Of the State of New. Mexico,
when said Territory shall become
State, 100000; For the purpose of Great
ng Sinking Fund for the ultimate re-
lemption of the bonded indebtedness
If the Territory 100000.
In addition to school sections 16 and
IS already granted. two additional Sec
ions should be granted. namely, Sec
ions 13 and 33.
Fifth. The Gila Forest Reservation
.reated ten months after the passage
# the congressional act of June 21,
Sss, granting lands to the territory,
includes two hundred and two school
sections. 16 and 36, many of which, have
,eefl leased by this board, the major
ty of the lessees having paid their five
ears rental in advance. The depart
nent requested this board under date
4 January 4th, 1900, to relInquish these
chool sections. that the reservationY
would then contain compact body OIL
and. This we declined to do, on the
rounds that the rights of the lessees
+ said school sections had interviewed
nd such action would be doing them
N Injustice, It has very recently come1