Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-09-13
u9BlNT TELLS OF TROUBLE
nv GETTING PROPERTY ON
THE TAX ROLLS IN STATE

| that confronts the taxing authori
ties in our state is that of arriyin,
at the value of dry farming land
1t has been demonstrated by tn,
experts of our agricultural colleg
that dry farming cannot be mad,
successful with a less rain fall thar
l6 inches. Such land is worth
more than grazing land, yet it il
very hard to arrive at an equitabl,
valuation because of the uneer
tainty of climatic conditions ant
the experimental character of thi
class of farming in general.
A vast area of the eastern por
ton of our state, where we have {
maximum rain fall, is still used fol
grazing purposes, even where th'
ranchman could sell from so K
so per cent of his land for dry
farming purposes at from seven tC
thirty dollars per acre, he otter
refrains from doing so, because tc
sell out his choice dry farming
land would mean to go out OF the
cattle business for the remaining
40 per cent of his land left on his
hands as not adaptable ito dry
farming would not be sufficient
for his purpose. Much of this dry
farming land. the last few years
has been sown in wheat and has
produced valuable crops; in some
instances earning as much as sixty
to seventy dollars per acre for the
year. This shows the possibility
of dry farming, and yet, experience
has proven that in long periods of
drought, sometimes lasting from
two to four years, nothing can be
grown in the way of farm products
on this land. OF course, the temp
tation to assess these dry farms at
a maximum value is very great,
and yet, experience proves it can
not be done with exact justice to
the farm. Therefore, our valua-
ton ranges from seven to fifteen
dollars per acre.
Joint road construction with the
federal government raises an in
teresting question in New Mexico,
because of the public land situa-
ton. In a scheme which contem
plates the construction of $500
miles of government aid road, we
are confronted with paying one
half the cost, of which more than
1000 miles of such road are wholly
upon public land.
Spanish Land Grants.
One of our greatest troubles has
always been the Spanish and Mex
can land grants. Under the treaty
Of Guadalupe Hidalgo the rights
Of citizenship and property was
guaranteed to the people of the
ceded territory. A glance at the
map of New Mexico shows that
almost all of these grants are To-
Gated in the lines of least resistance
for immigration from the south
and north. They cover the valua-
BILE timber lands, watered lands,
and most of the irrigable lands,
and, in fact, practically all the
ands that were, on account of the
hostile Indians. reasonably fit for
at that time. These
ands comprise more than $780,
700 acres. They We're not listed
,or taxation for many, many years,
md on many of them little taxes
nave been paid up to the present
ime. Some of these community
grants have large sums of delin-
luent taxes lying against them,
which our Tax Commission, under
| new law, is now trying to collect. !
These lands were not subject to
settlement except by the grantees
md their heirs, who, except in a |
'ew instances, are not using them. |
they cannot be explored for min
rails, and the timber cannot he |
awfully used, and the result was
hat the immigration that we
night otherwise have had in the |
'arly days, has gone to other west
,rn states.
Up to and including the present |
ime, through the neglect of the |
assessors, litigation or controversy,
ome of these community grants
re still not on the tax roll. Many |
# them are not used by the peo-
lie, who claim to own them, and |
more unfortunate than all this for
is. they are not being improved,
Except in few notable instances.
hey have been a great factor, in
eed, in delaying the progress of
his state. Following the recogni-
ion OF these grant lands, the gov
rnment proceeded to set aside A.
100000 acres of good land in New
1exico as Indian reservations.
UGH land pays no taxes, but the
excavations are expensive to police
nd supervise, and they are not
eing developed as they should be.
n fact, they are scarcely being
eveloped at all. The government
as reserved in addition to this ap-
roximately 100000 acres of
md in New Mexico for National
'orest Reserve. These lands also
re, OF course, not taxable, and are
ne best lands in the state. They
re just in the early stages of de-
elopment and the administration
these reserves is now very much
etter than during the first years
the reservation. There Is some
hing in the neighborhood of A.
100000 acres of land in New Mex
% set over to the railroads as
rant lands, devoted to such rail-
Dads to encourage the building
hereof, The lands were very I'M
isely granted in alternate sec
oio, anu III QOiIiS tliS COISTeSS
,llowed the plan which worked I
ell in Kansas, but this policy has
orked miserabH in New Mexico.
Thile the lands are returned for
Ixation they are returned at less
alue than they would have been /,
ad they been granted in solid ,
,dies, so that they might have !,
zen improved. Such grants have !
retarded the growth of ;
lat part of the state lying imme-
ately west of Albuquerque,
to the Arizona line. The
venue from these lands has never 7
lualed the amounts paid in taxes i
! them. This has resulted not
lily in a great loss to the state, :
1t in loss to the railroads as
ell. These lands are of very little