The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1918-03-12

demonstrated The Income from the
state lands has Increased from less
than s1O0. 600 ten Years * To more
than one million dollars i'm 1917, and
the original income and its increases
from year To year have come almost
wholly from the livestock industry
What Gongrc~- Expected.
In granting the lands 30 New Mex
leo u Is clear hat ourrc expected
the state to sell them and soil them
AZ grazing lands. 90 not only f.Ncd
the minimum price. on e grazing land
basis but luid % RI procedure for
sale which makes 300 restrictions as
90 sizes ca the tracts tG bc sold. 10
was recognized that the character of
hands granted usight vary somewhat
hut hat the greater part ot the acre
aEe could br used 20 greatest econ
omic advantage % boz relative large
areas. The Legislature, ia developing
~ policy OF administration lease and
sale proceeded ON the same general
theory The law permits the state e.
sell on lease M area from the small
est legal suh-divisipt upward. Thus
the man who wishes TO uuy or lease
70 small area has the same rights and
privileges as the man who desires %
township.
The same theory Of greatest prac-
teal usefulness. and therefore. of
greatest practical value. governed the
policy of selection Of our lands. While
the state -cucotVorcd 90 select as much
farming land us g. could urd. tho
problem iu u large way was one Of
picking 5hc best grazing land there
being nothing much but grazing land
left from which 10 pick.
II was necessary that the hands
be selected quickly. following the
grant cot 1910. The public domain
was disappearing rapidly. To have
chosen an these lands after personal
Investigation Icy officer ur agent, of
the state. would have required Years
ll,d duriur those years the best Of th"
public domain would have hoeu ,h-
.orbcd and the state woul, have been
thrown into active competition Tor
lands with homcstcad,rR. Hs b. he
ease iu thr n]ciEhhorinE state "f Ari-
coma. whc.c u more dolihorut" policy
has bccn pcrsucd. since u was %
question OF choosing grazing land
the selection commission held that
no better Judges could he found than
practical USERS OF grazing land, M"
stockmcn who now or In tn" future
would desire To use the land, Nat-
urally they would hoo the best
they could find tor their own use. BY
inviting citizens Everywhere 60 select
land Tor lease Ind purchase our Sc
l%cctions were not only completed
quickly. hut. 10 is believed, with the
minimum Of 20 selections and with
q far wider distribution 9s 10 loca-
ton and number OF actual users see
cured than could have been had hy
any other method.
STATE Needed Revenue.
In the early days the state needed
revenue from the lands. just as 10
needs that revenue now. The only
market available was the livestock
Industry. Lands were offered for
lease. originally. at about whatever
price the stockman was willing "a
give. Frequently he even declined
To- use the land ou that basis From
two cents tu acre average zen years
apo the price for leases lust year
reached Hu average Of five cents un
acre. II is ,uutcnded hy some that
our lease rate hould be higher. 10 bel
higher for the better grades cod rra2-
ing land aud Tor agricultural lnud,
and IL is being advanced 49, Cundt-
tlons and the market for grazing lame
appear o. Justify. IL is a question,
however. whether the state viii fin
ally ho tho puiuc by imposing 20 rate
uf rentals for ~ lands which vii
seriously tax the stockmcn who us'
IT, Tho stat, can afford Co lease for
less than am individual hand owner.
uu, onIs because IL b. t1N-frcc. bu
hocuusc the lessee, II ne fences and
otherwise improves state land. Is add
iup values FOR future sal" aud for tu-
} turc taxation Rates of rental are
now. and % is believed, should h'
based uu somewhat broader oonsid'
orutious than those Nhloh would
!, govern e transaction between mdi.
yidnIs The effort. briefly, hus beer
aud should bee To- get for the sttto's
} grazing lands under lease about whu.
the traffic VIII hcar, whilc ot IN" same
time dealing fairly with every ui
tho states cnants
Congress expected that me ttht'
would sell the land. and the legiHla.
turc in making is policy went turthel
and encouraged buying 10y making IA
easiest terms possible and compatihl'
with safety. Behind this sales police
was and b. the theory that wherever
Do ~tavpnvor can be made 90 take th'
~. LN.H. L.aNnH
placed his purchase money IN an IN
tcrost bearing trust fnnd' mas made
forward stride without shcrlt'c" elth
- OF or income. hut prom
81 ably with % final important addition