Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1917-01-26
s ELECTIONS COMPLETED
just IN TIME

! q.
5 ELECTIONS COMPLETED
just IN TINE
The report shows that of the H.
159, 437. go acres granted to Mexico
under the congressional acts of 1898
and 1910, total of II ,049, 50O.O7
acres have been selected and title
thereto passed to the state. OF the
small acreage remaining To he Sc
lecled practically all is protected by
tentative selections which await
either the completion of federal land
surveys. or determination as to char
acter of land applied for. The i'm
portance of the completion of these
selections. representing five years of
constant work by the state land
board and the land commissioner, as
selecting agent. is emphasized by
current reports from six United
States land offices in New Mexic,
which show that in the first 10 days
of this month more than 5000 filings
have been made by homeseekers on
the public domain in this state under
the 6iO-acre stock raising home
stead law, with total withdrawal
of more than 5000. 900 acres. There
remain IN New Mexico only 10000
600 acres OF surveyed and 100000
acres of unsnrvevcd public domain.
Should even small measure Of the
present homestead rush continue
through the coming spring and sum-
mer not an acre of public land will
remain unified on at the end of 1917.
Inquiries now pouring into the state
publicity bureau here, to the federal
land offices and to various local and
county filing centers Indicate that
the rush not only will continue but
that it probably will increase as
spring and favorable weather en-
courage travel overland,
But for the state land boards pol |.
icy of Fastening selections. vigorous |
~ carried ont by the commits sioner
and his assistants. New Mexico /
would have been face To face with
the necessity of taking its chances
of securing desirable lands with the
flood of nd-hungry homestcaders .
now spreading over every county in
the state, just a. Arizona with less .
than one third of her grants selected.
has been left 10 enter the mad scram.
Bile for land under the stock raising
homestead law. In years pat some
criticism has been heard in New Mex
leo of what has been termed undue
haste" in making the states land Sc
lections. The land board iorrsaw
some further extension of the rights .
of homestead ON the public domain,
shaped its policy accordingly and as
the commissioners report points ont,
is justified by the present situation.
LITTLE COMMON SCHOOL
LAND SOLD
Because of some agitation IN favor
Of stopping any further saies of state
lands an impression has become gen.
eral among those not familiar with
the detail of the state land transac-
tons that large areas of the states
grants for the maintenance and sup
port OF It's common schools have
been sold. The report of the COM
>ioner shows that not only is this
unfounded but that the
bulk of such sales of common school
lands rs have been made virtually
have been forced upon the land de-
partment IN carrying ont the mandate
# congress IN connection with the
Grant of 100000 acres for the spe-
ia! purpose of paying the railroad
bonded debt of Santa Fe and Grant
counties, which the state was forced
u assume under the enabling act.
This particular grant was made in
he bill granting statehood with the
,roysu that the lands be- sold and
he proceeds applied to payment of
he ancient railroad bonds and that
Ifter the indebtedness had been paid
my surplus remaining should go to
he permanent endowment fund for
COMMON schools. The report points
nj that the railroad bond debt comes
irst and must be paid off before the
Common school, can benefit under
he million grant that any
PRACTICAL plan for selling n million
cres of land involves the necessity
# sales in large. unbroken tracts, |
nd that such tracts must of neces- {
Itp lualuta Soma Of tho anmmnu |