Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-12-15
Development of Re-
sources Rapidly
Going on
Mr.. BURNS SUGGESTIONS
Would Open More Land and
Remove Forest r Restrictions
Against Grazing.

Hon. Thomas d. Burns of TERRA
Amarillo, the county seat, was in the
city yesterday and Sunday on legal
business. Mr.. Burns who is the best
known and most highly respected cit
izen of northwest New Mexico, being
the head of a large mercantile estab-
lishment, and also the owner of great
herds of sheep an dmuch agricultural,
timber and grazing land, and also en-
gagged in sawmill business in several
of the timber localities in his section,
said: The county of Rio Arriba is in
better condition than ever before, and
| am glad that the people are improv-
ing in every way and are highly pros
porous. Public schools with American
teachers have been instituted, and in
many of the school precincts young
lady teachers from Denver, Colorado,
and Pueblo are teaching. They like
their work and the children like their
new American teachers, and all of
them in the towns where there are
English teachers are learning the En-
glish language. In another ten years"
said Mr.. Burns, "the people Of this
county will all understand and speak
the English language, and only the
old people who have not had the
chance which the boys and girls now
enjoy will be ignorant of the English
tongue.
County Is Prosperous.
"Our county pays the interest on its
funded debt regularly, and is putting
by sinking fund. When the bonds
shall mature the principal will be paid
on date. Our last county treasurer,
NJ. A. Gonzales of Abiquiu, was very
honest and painstaking and accounted
for every cent of public funds that
came into his possession. The next
county treasurer, b. G.. Hernandez, Is
a merchant of TERRA Amarillo, speaks
English well, and is a bright, honest
and competent man. He will make
line treasurer ana COlleClOT.
'In five years, | think. our county
will be completely free of debt, and II
the Andrews statehood bill passes. and
the United States gives the territory
the donations of public land for help
ing the county to settle it's indebted
ness. our county taxes will be very
small as our county commissioners
are economical and efficient. =
Lands Should Be Opened.
'I sincerely hope both for the good
of the Jicarilla Apaches and Of our
American native settlers that the
splendid reservations of about 100000
acres in the northwestern part of our
county will be thrown open to settle
ment and the Indians given enough
land to make them self-sustaining, but
no more. have lived here in TERRA
Amarillo over 40 years, and am very
friendly to the Indians. knowing every
one of them from the old ancestors
to the grandchildren. There are great
tracts containing most valuable pine
timber big deposits of good coal, and
many sections of land that can be irri-
gated successfully for agriculture and
will raise vast quantities of alfalfa.
potatoes, oats and other cereals and
hundreds of thousands of acres fine for
the grazing of cattle and sheep. These
lands should be thrown open. and If it
is done and American settlers know
the facts, the section will soon be a
rich agricultural and livestock raising
country, where a good class of Ameri-
can citizens will obtain a competency
and become wealthy.
| Stock Raising Profitable.
"This years season so far as sheep
and cattle are concerned was very
| fair, and the losses by bad weather
were few. However. the wool grow
ing industry was not as good as it
should have been, as the average
prices for our feeces amounted to
only about - cents per pound when
last year our sheep growers received
II and IS cents. This is a great diff
| ference and was markedly felt. Lambs,
sheep and steers sold pretty we'll but
not as well as in previous years. Our
people, however. hope for the best,
and for more prosperous year in
1909. They have the greatest conf
dence IN President Taft, and are con-
vinced that his administration will be
one that will prove best for the labor
ing people. A Il.
Forest Restrictions.
"As to the national forests In the
western part of our county, the people
are satisfied that these will do great
good, but ask that the restrictions
heretofore placed upon the grazing
and use Of the national forests be-