The Colorado statesman., 1919-11-29
CENTENNIAL STATE ITEMS.


mission show that the patented land In
the state this year is 1921 per cent of
the total area, compared with 1898 per
cent last year. or this patented land
26. .82O oil acres, or 40. 13 per cent OF the
area of the state, is assessed as agri-
cultural land, the remaining 2.OS per
cent being mineral land, railroad rights
OF way and town and city lots. The
area OF irrigated land assessed is p
495, 100 acres, or 9.3T per cent OF the
assessed agricultural land Dry farm
ing land assessed is 1O,002, 1872 acres,
or 81 SO per cent OF the patented agri-
cultural land, while grazing land is the
largest class, amounting to 14,123,529
acres or 59.O5 per cent OF the total.
The State Inheritance Tax Depart
ment received check for 44,495.44
in settlement of the inheritance tax
claim of the state against the estate
Of the late Walter S. Jackson of El
Paso county. The value of the estate
was appraised at $1,36S, ,552.55. De-
ductions amounting to $43,5o3.6o
brought the net taxable estate to
81 ,324, ,99s9O. II the United States Su-
preme Court decides the state inheri-
tance tax may be levied prior to de-
duction of the federal tax, the state
will receive S4,17265 additional.
Nearly 10000 acres of state land,
embracing tracts in AlamOsa, Baca,
Bent, Boulder, Conejos, Ebert, FL
Paso, Kiowa, Logan, Mineral, Moffat,
Montezuma, Morgan, Prowers, Rio
Grande, Routt and Washington coun-
ties, will be sold at public auction to
the highest bidders at the state house,
Dec. 8. The sale will open at 2 o'clock
in the afternoon. Minimum acceptable
prices on the land range from SIS to as
high as 500 per acre.
At the Farmers Congress to be held
in Fort Collins Dec Is to 10, Maj. Gen.
Leonard Wood will be the chief speak
err General Wood will talk upon "The
Twentieth Century Farmers Son True
to the Spirit of '76 and '61." He wired
his acceptance to Newton G. DOugher-
ty, president of the congress, and will
speak on the evening of Tuesday, Dec.
10. General Wood is the latest of a
string of notables who will address the
congress this year.
Wesley Saunders, 26, and Martin G.
Kerren, so, lost their lives when fire
destroyed the Cripple Creek-Colorado
Springs car barns at Cripple Creek.
Both men, who were employees of the
car barn, were asleep, and were suf-
focated The fire started from an
over-heated stove. The loss by the
fire, in which six electric cars were
destroyed, is estimated at $4,000
The teachers in the grade rooms of
the local schools have organized at
Montrose for the purpose of securing
more adequate salaries for their serv-
ices. The local organization will coop
crate with the state and nationwide
campaign for the betterment of the
teachers salaries and working condi-
tions.
Bernard Cummings, 14-year-old son
of former Game Warden w. B. Cum
mings of Durango, died from wounds
sustained by the accidental discharge
of his shotgun while he was hunting
ducks on Horseshoe slough, three
miles north of that city. His right
arm was almost shot, away from the
shoulder by the load from the gun.
Lee F. Williams, Pueblo contractor,
has just been awarded a contract for
the construction of a new depot for
the Missouri Pacific Railway Company
at Sugar City. 1t is to be duplicate
of the new depot at Ordway. The con-
tract calls for first-class modern de-
pot building of brick, concrete and
tile and will cost about $4,000.
Poultry fanciers of Grand Junction
and the Western Slope are arranging
for a poultry show 20 be held in Grand
Junction, during the latter part of
January. 1t is expected that poultry
will be brought from all parts of the
slope for exhibition, the show being
the most extensive yet planned in the
ntermountain territory.
Francisco Ballegos, on trial for kill
ing his uncle, Mercario Ballegos, for
mer soldier, was found guilty of muir
der in the first degree at Durango, the
jury returning the verdict in thirty
minutes. They recommended life i'm
prisonment Lucia Ballegos, widow of
the dead man, was found guilty of sec
ond degree murder as an accomplice. A
penalty of from ten years to life i'm
prisonment was recommended.
Forty-two per cent of all the land in
Colorado is patented, according to COM
pilations made in the State Immigra-
tion Department from records of the
State Tax Commission. OF this patent
ed land, 26,62O,911 acres is assessed as
agricultural land. The land classified
as agricultural land represents little
more than 40 per cent of the total area
of the state.
Members of the State Highway Com