Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1918-01-04
ArizOna's State Land Problem
May Comfort New Mexico

An interesting comparison OF
the policies of state land admin
istration as they have been work
ed out in practical operation in
New Mexico and Arizona, is con
tanned in a recent editorial in
the Ell Paso Herald, which is ur-
ging upon Arizona the import
lance of a more liberal policy in
the leasing and sale of it's state
lands, to the end that develop
ment of the state, and parti-
cularly of its livestock industry
may proceed. The editorial,
published in the Herald on De-
cember A, follows:
las recently pointed out, Ari-
IONA has nearly 5000, 600, acres
Of state land which, under pres
ent conditions, cannot be sold or
leased. 1t is nearly all grazing
land and the constitutional pro-
hibition against sale or lease of
more than one section or GAO
acres to any one applicant makes
it impossible to dispose of this
land to cattlemen. They cannot
use one section alone unless it
happens to lie tributary to other
lands in which they have title as
owner or leasee and in practical
ly all such instances they have
made taeir purchases or leases.
This leaves a great body of land
idle and without prospect of
revenue either to the state or to
any Individual. 1t has been ur-
ged that the legislature at its
next session should submit to
the people of the state a consti-
tutional amendment to raise the
purchase or leasing limit of state
lands from one to ten sections,
which would permit stockmen to
buy or lease enough state land to
provide an adequate range for at
least a small herd.
New Mexico has not this pro-
blem now, but is threatened with
it. Under the state constitution
there is no prohibition against
sale or leasing as much land as a
buyer desires. While Arizona
has sold but 302, 800 acres of state
land, New Mexico has sold l, 10O,-
600 largely because of the abb
sence of these restrictions. The
New Mexico land commission has
received in the past year 81, 1885,
600 from the sale and lease of
state lands, of which $500, 900
came from sales and the remain
der from leases.
Against New Mexico's 81, 1876
600 annual income from sales and
leases may be placed Arizona's
revenue Of $104, 425 from leases,
$4S, $50 from instruments on pur-
cnases, and $89, 969 from interest
oh deferred payments. The diff
ference is marked. 1t might be
argued that since New Mexico
was first to receive statehood, its
land department was sooner en-
gagged in disposing of state lands.
But on the other hand it must be
remembered that Arizona has a
marked advantage in being able
to offer state lands at a lower
price. Congress fixed the mini
mum at which state lands might
be sold at So an acre east of long
itude los, and SO an acre west.
That places about half of New
Mexico in the SIS an acre class
while all of Arizona is in the So
class. AS a matter of fact, in
the sale of over 1886, 900 acres Of
state land, the New Mexico office
received an average price of
S6.68 an acre.
New Mexico is now threaten
ed with Arizona's problem be-
cause of well-authenticated re-
ports that an agitation is under
way to bring before New Mexi-
co.'s legislative session a measure
limiting sales and leases to one
section, which is the very limita-
ton which Arizona now recog-
nizes the need of abolishing.
THE argument in favor of the
limitation is advanced that with
out the restriction a relatively
few men of means may step in
and buy great tracts of land as
rapidly as they can produce the
money, thus acquiring for them
selves most of the IL, $50, 600
acres of state land and depriving
citizens of small means from OBJ
tanning land.
There isanothermatter which
deserves thOuObt before tha va