The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-10-24
MEXICO ENCOURAGING
WORKING OF ITS LANDS
CONFERS UPON ITS DEPARTMENT
OF FOMENTO POWERS RELAT-
ING TO IRRIGATION.

The Mexican government in it's eff
forts to encourage immigration and
the more active working of it's valua-
BILE tracts of land has conferred upon
it's department of fomento extensive
powers relating to immigration and
the taking up of public land. What
is called the free" country-that is,
land belonging to the government
and unoccupied-is chiefly in the
north of Mexico.
1t is not the best in the republic,
looked at from the commercial stand
point-not necessarily because it is
unfertile, but mainly because 1t is,
most of. it, remote from railway,
and great deal of it so situated that
no produce could be got to market
except on the backs of mules. That
being understood, there is great
deal to be said in favor of these
lands as offered to agriculturists.
In these circumstances, it is OBJ
vious that the outlying parts of the
plateau-the temperate regions in
the north, which have nearly, if not
quite. virgin soil-will have i'm
mense value and Importance in the
future. The free, or public, lands
are, for the most part, in the states
of Chihuahua Coahuila, Durango,
Sinaloa and Sonora. They include
all climates, from the temperate to
the torrid, in every graduation. Vast
tracts are entirely uninhabited. Some
of these lands were formerly settled
upon by the religious orders, but all
that has been abolished.
The federal government is having
this land surveyed by companies
formed for the purpose, the compa-
MES taking as remuneration for the
work one-third of the area surveyed.
The rest is disposed of partly to mu-
inequalities, partly to ranching COM
panies, and partly to private parties.
There are still in the neighborhood
of 2O,O00,000 acres in the hands of
the government for alienation. These
are termed terrenos naciOnales.
The executive publishes every jan
uary the schedule of prices of pub
lie lands in each state, the federal
district, and the territories. The de-
partment of fomento has authority
to sell or lease these lands. If sold,
the price, according to the schedule,
must be paid within two months after
the announcement. Otherwise the
denouncer loses his rights. For ordi-
nary uncleared land the price varies
from so cents to SO per hectare, equal
to 2,741 acres. The price is not
necessarily payable in cash, but in
bonds of the national debt, at the
market price of the day.
There are also regulations which
enable an approved immigrant to OBJ
tain 100 hectares of public lands as
free grant, but in that case he must
occupy the land for five years, and
show at the end of that time that he
has cultivated one-tenth of it, be-
fore he receives his title The treat
ment of such colonist in regard to
his fiscal and other obligations is
generous to degree. He is exempt
ed for ten years from military SER
vice, from all taxes except municipal.
from all import duties on articles of
consumption not produced in the
country, agricultural implements,
tools, household furniture and ami
mails for breeding purposes.
Also, if he introduces new agIcul-
tural interests or industries, he is ac-
corded special protection. If he
plans one-tenth of his land (being
bare of timber) with trees, his ex-
emption from taxation is extended
for another year-New York Com
mercial