Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-12-16
Secretary Of the Interior {. A.
Hitchcock Refers to 1t In
His Annual Report.
THE RECLAMATION ACT
Unlawful Fencing Of the Public Do
main Prosecuted .-.0ther Data Of
Interest.

cock, In his annual report just pun
lished refers as follows to New Mexico
and other western affairs
"In New Mexico a number Of sur
veys have been made upon the Pecos
River and the Rio Grande On the
former stream the principal localities
are above Roswell, at what is known
as Urton Lake, and below Roswell on
Hondo River. Maps sAre being pre-
pared for reservoir sites on the Rio
Grande above the N,esilla Valley.
New MexicoCoItorado Boundary.
Congress, by act of July l, 1902, (32
Stat. L. 574), appropriated $31,500 for
the resurvey and re-establishment. on
the line of the thirty-seventh parallel
of north latitude of the boundary line
between the state of Colorado and the
territories of New Mexico and Okla
homa, and under date of July Z. 1902.
the commissioner of the general land
office, with the approval of the depart
ment, entered into contract for the re-
survey of said boundary, the estimated
liability of the contract being $4,000.
while the returns of this survey
are not yet. at hand, the work in the
| field, l am informed, has been carried
to the point of completion, and the
maps and field notes are now in
course OF preparation.
"The entire line has been conspicu-
ously monumented and an inspection
of the work has been made by an ex-
perienced astronomer and examiner
of surveys connected with the general
land office. The field notes and report
of this inspection have been filed with
the commissioner of the general land
Office, who will take final action upon
notes, and astronomical observations
receiving the surveyors maps, field
From the report of the examiner it
would appear that this boundary has
now been correctly established, and it
is hoped that there will be no further
doubt as to the position of the line
dividing the state of Colorado from
the territories of New Mexico and Ok
lahoma.
Unlawful Fencing of the Public Do
main Prosecuted.
"In my last annual report, begin
ming at page II thereof, l set forth at
length and in detail the difficulties
with which this department has to
contend in it's efforts to prevent the
unlawful fencing of public lands by
that class that seeks to occupy them
for grazing purposes.
without a repetition of the matters
set forth in that report, the summary
showed 153 cases of unlawful fencing
of public lands, embracing 3,952,S ,S44
acres, for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1902. Of that number, nine inclo-
sures, embracing 24564 acres, were
removed, and 144 cases, embracing g.
928,28O acres, were reported as in pro-
cess of removal or as having been laid
before the United States attorneys of
the various states and territories for
, action under the act of February 25,
1885 (23 Stat. L. 321. The vigorous
policy pursued by the department dur
ing the past year has resulted in the
ported and of the acreage embraced
within such unlawful Enclosures, the
total number of cases reported during
o the year, as shown by the records OF
q the general land Office, being 1856, en-
J., bracing 2,605,390 acres. Seventy-nine
p of these fences inclosing 975,450 acres,
r have been reported removed. in COM
n pliance with notices given by special
f agents. Proceedings are pending to
a compel the removal of sc, inciosing
n 629940 acres.
n THE trespassers, however, are be-
ginning to show gratifying dispose
ton to remove their fences without
I compelling the department to resort to
i. the courts The department is active
j. in preventing or removing the unlaw-
e full inclosure of public lands. and has
instructed it's special agents to render
:. all possible aid to United States at
|. torneys having charge of any of these
t cases.
Reclamation Act.
e The act providing reclamation
t fund for the construction of irrigation
v works for the reclamation Of the arid
It and semi-arid lands in the western
states was approved June II, 1902, just
prior to the beginning of the fiscal
d year. The results of many years OF
It study, investigation, and surveys for
v the irrigation development Of that re-
It gion by the geological survey made II
e possible to organize the reclamation
e service without delay. and to begin At
v once upon projects presenting features
n favorable to early construction.
"A large number of Withdrawals
% have been made in the various states
n and territories subject to the opera
se ton of the act, and surveys are nov
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