Estancia news-herald. [volume] (Estancia, Torrance County, N.M.) 1912-19??, 1920-11-25

by the advocates of the net output
law for coal mines. Mr.. Downer
testified that the st Louis, Rocky
Mountain and Pacific company
owned 1896 acres of coal land
in fee simple and the mineral res
ervations in $4,000 acres addition
al, total of 55O,925 acres, under
which they own all the coal. They
paid taxes last year on valuation
iof $1,323,531, determined by the
net output from their six mines and
were assessed also on 10000 for
mineral reservations. Thus their to-
tai valuation was $1,505,706, or an
average Of S2.81 on the mineral
content of their half million acres
of coal land.
Mr.. Downer laid this ridiculously
low average to the misapplication
Of the output tax law. He assert
ed at the hearing that the law con-
templated taxing the net output as
in lieu of the mineral content of
the mine and Of the contiguous
lands which may be used for the
further extension of existing min
ing operations. He showed that it
was usually conceded that not more
than 1000 acres, possibly 5000
acres, could be mined from Ssingle
shaft, and that not more than that
amount should have been considered
as contiguous to each of the six
mines of the Rocky Mountain COM
pany. AS matter of fact, how
ever, total of. $4,000 acres was
considered contiguous to the six
shafts instead of from $4,000 to
10000.
Mr.. Downer further pointed out
that if the law was applied proper
ly and six thousand acres allotted
to each shaft, the $4,000 acres
would be taxed from the net out
put, which was $1,323,531, or an
average of about $40 an acre. The
remaining lands would be taxed then
for the right to possess them and
hold them for future development,
not upon the full mineral value of
the coal below them.
Two interesting points brought out
at the hearing were the fact that
the st. Louis, Rocky Mountain and
Pacific company pays upon an as
sessment Of $100 an acre for tiny
strip. of it's holdings and does not,
consider this excessive.
Also, the government price for SINH
lar coal land is about $3.50 an
acre.
During the hearing it was shown
that the assessment Of other coal
lands in Colfax county was faulty,
that of the Bartlett tract.
Another example of the operation
Of the output tax law when contig
uous lands are not restricted was
to be found in the case of H. H. |
Chandler who had, according to the
best figures available, $3.50 acres
Of coal land which were assessed on
Q net output of $685., or on value
for mineral content of 13 cents an
acre.
The state commission was in
formed at the meeting yesterday that
al the coal lands east of Ration paid
on an average Of $3.50 per acre,
while all west of Ration paid on an
average valuation of $4.36 per acre.
As the lands of the Cherokee and
Pittsburgh company paid upon a
much higher average and were
known to be lands of the same char
acter, similarly situated, the COM
mission reduced the assessment of
the company to the average of, the
county.
Other lands in Colfax county |
which may be affected by the de-
cision of the state taxing body be-
cause they are. not valued for tax
alton purposes at 500 an acre are
New Mexico Coal Company, ten
acres; George 7. Peart, twenty
acres; John Morrow, twenty acres;
J. J. Connolly, fifteen acres; Alfred
Jelf5 heirs, fifteen acres; Northwes--
tern Coal company, twenty acres;
H. C. Reynolds, five acres; Yankee
Fuel company, 334 acres, and the
St, Louis, Rocky Mountain and Pa
ci6c company, seventy-ive acres.
2 Fat hogs for SALE. V. Gordon.