El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-01-24
New Mexico Mining and Cattle Growth Is Marked
El Paso Is the Market Cen
ter For This Tremendous
Trade Area.

- son, slowly, painfully, but surely.
The unbounded expectations of rapid
growth, of marvellous development,
that. it was predicted, would follow
the institution of a state government
two years ago. in a degree have failed
to materialize thus far. The people
banked on the promises of politicians
and placed their faith in rainbow
visions of spectators and they have
been disappointed.
It is not surprising therefore, not
even discouraging, that the year 1913,
brought no material increase Of pop
ulation, no new railroads, no big in
dustriaI enterprise, no outpouring of
foreign capital for development. Had
IT not been for the natural growth Of
one city, Albuquerque, there would be
an actual loss in population to record.
In fact, almost One-half OF the 70
counties show such a loss and the
other half have made only slight gain
or stood still
Tangled Finances.
Distrust has been unnecessarily
aroused by the tangled financial con
ditions Of the state. The increased
cost of a state government has
brought a temporary shortage in GER
tain state funds to which must be
added the unfaVOrable impression
thOrity Of the state board of equaliza-
ton to make certain horizontal raises
in the assessment returns, so as to
bring I'D the total to 1000, 600, the
sum needed to assure sufficient in
come from the tax rate limited by the
constitution. Even then, every cent
OF taxes levied must be collected and
all the other sources of revenue must
come up to expectations to assure an
adequate income for the next two fis-
cal years. But for anomalous polit-
ical conditions and sentiment, a spe-
cial session Of the legislature would
be speedily called, to end these IN
toward developments which hamper
enterprise, for after all, the shortage
is in the main only one of bOOkkeep-
ing, the financial dghtness is arti-
fetal and could easily be remedied
by statute, for the state treasury has
balances that exceed half a million
dollars and the states income from all
sources would be ample, if only some
latitude were given in the trans
ferring of funds, and the collection Of
delinquent taxes were scrupulously
enforced. The credit Of New Mexico
is excellent, many of its securities
commanding good premiums even on
duh and pessimistic money markets
Industrial Development Promised.
Two big railroad projects loom up
for 1914. One means an air line from
Pennington to Roswell, through Al
buquerque, Tijeras pass and the New
Mexico Central, to be a link of a trans
continental road from the Pacific to
the gulf, which would incidentally IN
lock the immense coal fields Of the
San Juan and Hagan country and
hasten the completion Of great irri-
cation projects in San Juan, Rio Ar
riba and Taos counties, at the same
time favoring the prompt utilization
OF the extensive water power now go
ing TO waste on the upper Rio Grande,
the upper PecOs and their tributaries.
The other project is that of an ex-
e-f ~ "a TrrrHrn
tain and Pacific from Ute Park over
the Taos pass to Taos and across the
Rio Grande to Gallup. minor pro-
ject contemplates the extension Of the
that now ends at Blanca on
the Taos-Colorado boundary, to Cues
IA, Taos, Santa Cruz and Santa Fe,
there to connect with the New Mexico
Central. Another project contemplates
a line from Artesia to FL PasO.
Crops during the past year have
not been record breaking In fact,
several dry farming sections again re-
ported failure Several small banks
contraction of credits, but these con
dltlOns are the inevitable result Of a
period of transition through which
the commonwealth is passing and
after which its prosperity viii rest
upon a far more secure basis than ever
before
Mining Breaks All Records.
The mineral output in 1913 exceeded
for the first time in the history OF the
commonwealth viii exceed $4,000 900.
one-half Of this from copper, one
fourth from coal. the remainder from
zinc lead, cold, silver, iron and other
minerals. The operations Of the Chino
company in Grant county are begin
ming to rival those of the biggest cop
per concerns of Arizona, Montana and
Michigan, and their output has reached
enormous proportions with promise Of
a steady increase for years to come.
The famous MoRollOn district in
creased its gold and silver output and
the Lordsburg district, a steady pro-
ducer, has kept pace with its rivals
Kelly and Magdalena are maintaining.
heavy shipments of zinc and new zinc
prospects are being quietly explored
In the Black Range in Sierra county
The county of Colfax still leads in
coal production, but the annals of the
industry there we're marred by a mine
explosion at Dawson that snuffed out
more than 200 lives. Mckinley county
maintains second place as a coal pro-
Queer while SOcOrro and Santa Fe
are again in third and fourth
ranks respectively.
Reclamation Projects Pushed.
Steady progress Is being made to-
ward the completion of the federal
project at the Elephant Butte, and the
gigantic proportions and Significance
for the future Of the Mesilla and Rio
Grande valley are not vet fully COM
pretended. Tt will help to increase |
the area under cultivation in 1914 and
by 1915 will be so near completion
that DOna Ana county may expect to
double its population.
Another project that by 1915 will
attract many hOneseekers If Taos
county properly advertises its attrac-
tons is that on the Red river which
contemplates the reclamation Of 35-
600 acres Of state lands and for which
the capital has just been made avail
able.
Around Deming more shallow well
projects have proved feasible
and the advertising to be done by
Luna county at san Diego as well as
that contemplated by Eddy county.
VIII assure the settlement of every
available acre in the shallow well
belt as well as under the Carlsbad ir-
rlgatiOn project In fact, it was only
recently. that land commissioner R. p.
IlrVien, at one public sale at Demipg,
Of s15O,000 worth of state
lands in the shallow well basin of the
1Iimbres
The proposition of the federal gov
eminent to sink wells on the Navajo
reservation is also very significant
and if artesian water is struck. as is
predicted, or even if irrigation from
pumDing wells does not prove too ex-
pensive the area Of land under Guilt
doubled and that viii mean a greater
production from agriculture than from
all the mines. stock ranges and fac
tories and mills combined for even in
1913. the value of the states agricul-