Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-11-14
In Population, As.
sessnent Values
and Agriculture.
SINCE JANUARY ! 1906
Taxable Property Nearly
$5O,0O0,0 0,000.- Population
Over 35O,O0O.

Territorial Statehood League, has
compiled some very interesting figures
on irrigation, on agriculture, on the
assessment value Of taxable property
and on the increase in popula
tion Of New Mexico since the first OF
January, 1906 which he has furnished
the New Mexican. These figures show
conclusively that the growth OF the
territory during these twenty-five
months has been remarkably satisfac-
tory and steady. The information con
tanned therein will come in especially
serviceable in the fight which will be
made shortly in the Sixtieth Congress
for the passage of bill for an enabl
ing act for New Mexico.
From figures recently furnished to
Lawson D. Lowe, secretary Of the Ter
rltorial Statehood League by Territor-
ial Engineer Vernon L. Sullivan, 1t
appears that at present there are
something over a million acres
of land under cultivation and
irrigation in this territory and
over two million, five hundred
thousand acres of land suscepti'
BILE to irrigation OF this latter
amount, there are applications on file
IN his office for permits to construct
water works and irrigation systems to
irrigate C545OO acres, leaving at The
lowest estimate one and one-half mil.
lions of arabic lands susceptible of ir.
rigation and cultivation as yet I'M
touched. OF the above mentioned ap-
plications covering the 654,500 acres,
the United States reclamation servlse
has filed applications for 100000 acres
under the following projects; The
Hondo Project, near Roswell, New
Mexico, 10, 900 acres; the Carlsbad Pro-
ject, near Carlsbad, New Mexico, 23,-
900 acres; the Elephant Butte Project,
near Engle, New Mexico, 10000
acres; the Las Vegas Project, near
Las Vegas, New Mexico, $1,000 acres;
and the Urton Lake Project, near Fort
Sumner, New Mexico, 10000 acres. In
referring to these various government
undertakings the territorial engineer
says:
Five Big Irrigation Projects Under
Construction.
"The government has five different
projects. all of which have been ap
proved in the territory Of New Mexico
the Carlsbad and Hondo projects be
ing practically completed. The Ele'
phant Butte project is one Of the larg
est projects the reclamation service Is
building, the same having been com
menced nearly year ago and which
is intended to irrigate one hundred
and eighty thousand acres OF land In
cluding the furnishing Of sixty thous
ang acre feet of water to Mexico
This proposition is for storing the
food waters Of the Rio Grande, the
project having one of the largest res
ervoirs ever built, which has a storage
capacity Of two million acre feet
which capacity can be better appreci
ated by the following illustration: Il
standpipe ten feet In diameter were
made high enough to hold the same
capacity as this reservoir would hold
it would bs tall enough so that Its
heighth would 60 around the world
eight different times"
TheFremainder, or 319,5S0 acres Of
land will be irrigated by private en-
terprise and private capital and all Of
the applications have now been ap
proved by the territorial engineer.
From official figures secured In the
Office OF the travelling auditor Of the
territory, there are about $500 miles
Of railroads now constructed and op
erative in the territory while at least
1000 miles or more are contemplated
being constructed in the different sec
tions In the near future. Much Of this
mileage has been constructed within
the last seven or eight years and ev
cry foot Of It has been a paying In
vestment from the start.
In relation to the mines In the ter
ritory, the New Mexican has been
unable to secure any official informa
tion as vet. The matter has been TAX
en- up and as soon as something on
this important subject has been secur.
ed II will then be furnished. Mining
has always been an important indus.
try in the territory and more progress
may be shown along this line than
any other. The mountains Of New
Mexico abounds in minerals In almost
every section Of the territory from
the coal mines OF the north and east