The Holly chieftain., 1922-05-18
DEMAND FOR STATE
LANDS Is INCREASING

The April sale of state school
lands held in the office OF the State
Board of Land Commissioners State
Capitol, Denver, was the largest
in over eighteen months. 3,70G
acres were sold for total pur-
chase price of S9S,S29, and an av.
erage price per acre of S2666. The
lands in question were located in
twelve counties of the state, vari-
ed in price from $3.50 per acre for
raw mountain land to Sl3G.75 per
acre for irrigated land in the Ar.
kansas valley.
State lands are offered for sale
only upon the application of an
individual, and the interest that
is now being manifested in the pur-
chase of these lands is undoubtedly
indicative of the change in financial
conditions of the people of the
state.
Notwithstanding sales of state
lends conducted ever since the adj
mission of Colorado to statehood,
loss than one-third of the land al
l0ttcd to the state under the En-
abiing Act has been sold. Some
thing over 3,C00000 acres still re
main in control of the state not
counting the equities still owned
by the schoolfund in lands that
have been sold and are being paid
for in yearly installments.
Land in Colorado including city
and town lots pays about AZ per
cent Of the. general property tax
assessed In the state, though only
1864 percent of the land in the
state is on the tax rolls, according
to compilations made by the State
immigration Department. for the
Colorado yearbook. Agricultural
land pays. nearly 80 percent of this
tax.
Farm property pays a larger per
eentIge Of the general poppty taxes
of the state than any other single
class of property Approximately
10 percent Of all general taxes as
sessed for 1921 are paid by classes
OF farm property that are easily
segregated fom other propety as
scssed. This includes farm land
livestock, poultry and bees. equi-
ties in state land, improvements on
farm lands, and agricultural i'm
plemcnts. Items like carriages and
other horse drawn vehicles, auto
mobiles furniture, musical instru-
ments, jcWelly. clocks and watches
and few others which cannot be
easily segregated are not included
in the list, but it is apparent that
farm property pays about As per
cent of all general property taxes.
Land and improvements on land,
mainly buildings pay more than 60
percent of all general taxes levied
for 1921. This does not include rail
road rights of way, which are assess
ed together with other railroad
poperty. Improvements on city and
town lots. alone pay little more
than II percent.
Some students of taxation insist
that the figures here given prove
real estate is paying too large n
proportion Of general taxes in Colo
ado. However that may be. there
can be no question as to the fact
that agriculture is paying a much
larger percentage OF general taxes
than any other single industry
This is further proof that agricul.
ture is Colorado's largest industry
measued by the amount of money
invested. The relative importance
of agriculture is increasing steadily
each year, with indications that in
II few years it will show larger
investment as measured by proper
ty assessed, than all other industries
ombined.
The assessed value of farm land
in the state for 1921 is 470 million
dollars as compared with iG0 millions
for 1920. 1t will be noted that while
the total value of property assessed
in the state for 1921 was approx
mately twelve million dollars less
than that for 1920, the value OF farm
land showed an increase of more
than ten millions. This was not
due to any increase In the assessed
value of farm land per acre, but
to very considerable increase in
the acreage of farm land assessed.