Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-11-10
SURVEY THE COUNT

Tho people OF Albuquerque do MOI
fully appreciate the importance TO
The city of having all he lands OF this
county surveyed. with metes and
bounds established. so that every
piece OF property In the county could
be made To peal It's proper share OF
the public burden, and 50 hat II could
be definitely described in terms that
would enable "A buyer 10 know what
he was buying.
Consider first. the matter Of taxes
The Rio Grande runs through the
county from north to south. The wall
Icy, on both sides of inc river, pre-
sents n broad belt of the choicest
lands in all the southwestern country,
rich. smooth. ab%undnntly wntered
without expense or effort worth mem
~tionlng. just next door to the best
market In the country, and possessing
an actual. intrinsic value greater than
any other equal number OF acres any
where else in New Mexico, And yet
the Incorporated portion OF the city
OF Albuquerque pays e~ighty-five per
cen Of the entire tax bin OF the
county-or, II you include old Town
n Barelas M parts OF Albuquerque,
which they really are. you will find
that all this broad area of the most
valuable valley land In the TERRITORY
pays less than ten per cent of the
county tax bin. Why is this? Simply
bccause the metcs and bounds are 40
indefinite hat II IN impossible for the
taxing authorities TO make an assess
ment sufficiently definite 10 designate
the property with reasonable certain
". and hold II for the taxes And
thus the county logcs, year after year.
all the revenue that il ought to derive
from the assessment Of these valuable
lands.
Hut the loss Of the tax Is not by any
means the greatest loss that the peo-
pie of the city and county suffer
through the want of a proper survey
and plating of these valley lands.
The great bulk OF the land is held
by people who make no use OF Il, and
never expect TO make any use Of II,
but TO hold II Indefinitely for higher
prices, thus peralyzing the progress
n development of the country sur
rounding the city. If the lands were
assessed like other property, at the
usual per cent of their real value, the
annual tax bill would be a very fetch
argument against the d~og-in-the-
manger policy which the holders now
and II would not be long UNI
III such portions OF the land as they
are not able TO use themselves would
he sold TO persons who would put
hem under cultivation. ana thus
make all of our now unused valley
"A source of value 10 the
county, the city and the territory
There II not u shadow of doubt hut
a result would follow. Any in,
ielllgent real estate man In town viii
ell yon that every acre of our lands
n a very short time could be put into
ne hands Of men who would put the
anne under intense cultivation, II
MY the present holders could give /
iiles, setting forth metes and bounds. {
which prudent buyers would be Will
10 accept-and then. instead Of a
Obliged to import from Califnr-
ia or ToNas the most Of the ga,den Il
ruek We need to supply the home de- {
We would be able to Shin +
~ese,aoles OF the finest quality to the a
astern markets by the train luad II
1t Is not necessary TO say what il
nat would mean 10 the town. a.d 10 O
he county. n