The Benson signal., 1920-01-03
Southwest News
From All Over
NeU Mexico
and Arizona
Western Newspaper Union News Service


and extension of the SocOrro county,
New Mexico rural school system.
The executive committee of the
Southern Baptist convention Of New
Mexico, decided on Las Vegas as the
location for the Baptist college, which
is to be erected in this state.
"A square deal for the farm boy and
the farm girl" is one of the slogans
of the Boys and Girls club depart
ment of the Agricultural Extension
Service of the University of Arizona.
Officials of the Mesa post of the
American Legion have launched
movement to secure for the post two
sections of land northeast of Mesa,
Arizona. The land is now held by the
| War Department. 1t was hOmeSteaded
ten years ago by officers Of the Mesa
| Company of the Arizona National
Guard and held as a military reserve.
! Giovanni Estrada, bright Mexican
boy, 8 years old, is in the st. Marys
hospital at Gallup, n. Mex, in seri-
Gus condition as the result Of being
! burned by an electric wire. The boy
climbed a pole to get a ball which had
lodged in the wires and In some way
came in contact with live wire with
| the result that his left arm was burned
off at the elbow his right arm partial
| ly disabled and his body burned in
several places.
Four hundred and four forest fires
have occurred during the past season
in the national forests of Arizona and
New Mexico, according to q report just
compiled by the forest service. Fully
SO per cent Of these fires were caused
by human agency, and approximately
| so per cent by lightning Among those
caused by human agency, the largest
number were set by logging operations,
and the next largest by campers. These
fires burned more than six thousand
acres of forest land, caused damage of
about $780, and cost over $4,000 to
extinguish One and One-fourth mil
| lion board feet Of timber were des-
| trOyed.
The Federal Monthly Crop Report
| just released for publication through
the office of Field Agent r. f. Hare
of the Bureau of Crop Estimates.
shows that New Mexico has planted
| this fall 211,0O0 acres of wheat COM
pared to $4,000 acres planted last
year. Last years crop passed the win
ter and spring with an abandonment Of
only per cent of the planted acreage.
| The condition of the present crop is
reported better on December LIST, than
was last years crop at that time. In
| the United States only 38,77OOOO acres
of wheat has been planted this year,
compared to 5O,4S9,OOO planted last
year The condition of this crop is
only S52 per cent of normal, compared
to a condition of 9S.6 per cent for last
years crop at this time. This report
shows that New Mexico has produced
6S1, 700 bushels of apples this year, and
75 per cent of these have been shipped
from the county in which they were
grown. Chaves' county reports having
shipped $40 cars, San Juan county 200,
Otero 60, and De Baca y cars The
Bureaus investigation relative to
wages of farm labor this year, COM
pared to 1918, 1917, and 1910, show
that the wages Of the farm labOrer
have kept pace in this state with high
cost of living The report shows that
the average wage by the month with
out board, was as follows: for 1910,
S34,25: for 1917, $4S.O0; for 1913, $59O
and for 1919, $4,000 This year, day
laborers commanded $3.50 per day !;
last year they were paid $2.3S in 1917,
S197 and in 1910 they were only paid
$1.5S.
Arizona'S mines enriched the world
by $174, 559, Sc during the year just
closing, according to the annual report
of the state tax commission. The min
erals produced tOtaled 1888, 1920
dry tons, and the average value per
ION from the gross yield was $91
Copper production amounted to about
is times the value Of all the other min
erals produced, gold and silver follow
ing next Copper produced amounted
to 729,OO1, ,6S7O6 pounds, of which 6S2,-
323, ,226.61 pounds were marketed at an
average price of $0.23291, or a total Of
| $163,21S,51635. Gold production
amounted to 249, 9,2590S ounces the av-
erage price being $2O43, and the total
value being $5,092, ,7O643 In silver
production the state had 5,126, ,0549
ounces, the average price being
S0.9727, and the total value, 1885,
14O.67. In lead the state produced g.
22,052.O3 pounds at an average value
of 0667, or total of SAL ,563.26.
The government has approved plans
and specifications for the DOuglas-Ro-
deo o"highway link in Arizona. according
to word received from Washington by
| State Engineer Maddox. This means,
that the road will receive $4,000 fed
eral aid for its construction.
Uncle Sam started his 1920 census
! taking January 2nd with nearly $1,000
! enumeratOrs in the field. Ray B.
| 7 oh of Of hn