Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-01-05
While Expenses Are Slightly
Increased So Are the
Revenues
RAILROADS AND BIG GRANTS.
Income From Lands, Fees, Tonn-
age Will Yield Album
dainty

crease taxation for the maintenance
and support of a state administration.
It is true that under a state form
of government by reason Of new Off
cials provided for by the constitu-
ton, and the loss to the state govern
ment by reason of federal appropria-
tions made for legislative expense
and the salaries of certain officials,
under territorial form of government
that an additional annual cash @eve-
nue. will be required.
This will amount to, i'll round mum
bers. about ninety-four thousand dol
lars per annum made up as follows:
For legislative expense estimated
at the extreme limit fixed in the con-
stitution, $22,4Oo.
Salary of governor, secretary of
state. and increase in salary of at
torney general, $500.
Salary of lieutenant governor
while serving as president of the
senate, $500.
Three new judges of the supreme
court, $4,000.
Increase in the salaries of eight
district court judges over amount now
paid for the seven, $4,000
Salary of three members corpora
ton commission. $4,000.
Estimated expense OF corporation
commission including salary of stem
ographer and clerk, $1,000.
Additional clerk hire Office of sec
retary now provided for by federal ap-
preparation $4,000.
Total, $94,500.
In the item OF legislative expense
there is included an estimate of ten
thousand dollars to cover contingent
expense such as printing, etc, which
is probably excessive.
To Offset this increased expense, for
the support of the territorial admin
istration the new state government
will bo in receipt of additional mon
eys from various sources and county
and municipal governments will also
be benefited from the same sources
and in proportion That 'lie Ievies for
the maintenance of county and muni-
cipal administrations bear to the
levies for state purposes.
Probably the largest receipt will be
received by the state, the county and
the municipal governments arising
under the operation of the provision
of section y of article s, which will
go into effect with the advent of the
new state into the Union and which
refers to the re-classifcation and taxa
ton of certain lands. The section
reads as follows:
Lands neld in large tracts shall
not be assessed for taxation at any
lower value per acre than lands of
the same character or quality and
situated, held in smaller
tracts 9"
Under he head of grazing lands,
last year. there was returned for tax
alton in the Territory, over eleven
million acres and at the nominal
price of rom thirty to fifty cents per
acre. 1t is estimated that at least
two million five hundred thousand
acres OF this class of land will be
by the provisions of the sec
ton quoted, and this large acreage
instead Of being returned for taxation
purposes at the low value of fifty
cents per acre, will take, for the pur-
poses 0. taxation, the same value as
placed IN adjoining land held by in
diyiduals in small tracts, viz: three
to five dollars per acre. This will be
true and apply in the coun-
ties of Colfax, Mora. San Miguel, Tor
rance, Guadalupe, Quay, Union, Roose-
velt and Curry These counties being
the ones in which dry farming is car
ried on An estimate of say seven
million five hundred thousand would
be added to the total assessment of
the property of the Territory, and this
on en mill levy for state purposes,
would add an additional revenue of
seven y-five thousand dollars per an.
mum.
Under our present territorial form
of government, the lands granted by
Congress under the act of 1898, for
publ school and various institution
al purposes, are now yielding an an
nual revenue of $4,000, about one
half Of which is now applied to the
support of the public schools and the
remainder to the support of the vari-
Gus territorial institutions. The En-
abling Act, under which we are now
seeking admission, increases the land
donation to the new state to double
the amount of acreage we now hold,
and it is only fair to Judge the future
by the past and to count on an in
creased revenue from the leasing of
the new land for the support of the
public schools and the state institu-
tons. Within probably four or five
years the institutional lands will all
have been selected and title vested
in the new state and through the
operation of the commissioner of pub
lie lands will be leased and a revenue
from this source assured, and the
state levy for the support of terri
torial institutions decreased in pro-
portion.