New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-05-11
THOUSANDS OF NEW
SETTLERS FOR STATE
LAND SALE RESULT
MANY OF THEM TOOK POS
SESSION IN TIME TO BE.
GIN PRODUCING SOME.
THING TO EAT OR FEED
THIS YEAR

The State Land Office today com.
pleted and made public a summar,
OF the seven sales of State lands
held during the month of April ir
Guadalupe, Quay, Socorro, Curry
Shaves, Eddy, and Union Counties
The sales brought the highest aver
age price per acre of any similar
acreage ever sold by the State. Dis.
tribution of the tracts as to acre.
age shows marked increase In the
number of buyers of small tracts
OF from 20 to $40 acres. A total
of l73,l97.3l acres were sold
bringing the State a total price OF
Sl, o34,o03.Z9, or an average of $77C
per acre. The highest price per acre
paid was $50 for 292 acres in Chaves
county, although several tracts in
Curry county sold at $40 an acre or
better. The Union county sale was
the most important, comprising oC
tracts totaling l20,37254 acres, which
sod for 1901 ,55937, the largest total
ever shown in state land sale.
The Union County sale was re-
markable for the attendance from
other states and the uniform acti-
vity of the bidding throughout the
auction. A tract of 5000 acres was
sold to the representative Of a group
OF cooperative bidders, ll0 in num-
Der. The purchase was made at
$40 an acre and the tract has now
been subdivided among the group
who come from % states and the
Dominion of Canada. Their lots
range from 100 to 1900 acres. Twenty
five or more will move onto and
farm their lands this year.
A total of 164 tracts were sold
in these sales, being distributed as
10 acreage bought as folows, 20
acres or less, II; 90 acres or less,
IA; l6O acres or less, 2l; 800 acres
or less, 26; $40 acres or less, As;
1900 acres or less. 22; $500 acres or
less, Ia; 5000 acres or less, 7; over
5000 acres, 4; this latter group in
cluding the 5000 acre tract sub
divided among the ITO buyers in
the cooperating group. Practically
all sales made in April come under
the new law by which the state re-
quires a payment of S per cent. of
the purchase price in cash, the bal
ancc at any time within 80 years
at 4 per cent. interest annually in
advance ON deferred payments. All
the property purchased goes into
the tax rolls at once at full value,
as other SIMILAR property is taxed.
Thus, as a result of these sales
the state gains $l,334,5032o in tax
able property and the institutions
and schools, beneficiaries under the
federal land grants to the state
receive at once for their perman-
cnt funds $66,725.l6, and for their
income funds for the fiscal year, a
total of $5O,7ll.l2 A considerable
area of the land sold is being or
will be farmed this year.
Including the l73,0O0 acres sold
last month the state up to May l
has sold or contracted for sale ap-
proximately 100000 of the $780,
300 acres granted to it and its vari-
ous institutions by the acts of Con-
gress leaving 11,l50,W0 acres owned
by the State. OF this more than
!, 100000 acres is under income pro-
iucing lease.
More than 10000 acres of land
lnder grazing leases have now been
signed tip for various crops this
year under the recent permit to
farm such lands without additional
,ental, during the period of this
var.