Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-11-07
TEXAS REAPINC|
FLOW OF GOLD
State Once Land Poor Now
Finds Golden Harvest
From Holdings

mitted to Governor Dan Moody by
j. H. Walker. commissioner OF the
general land office.
So rich was the state in land.
that when decision was made to
erect a new capitol back in the
the 1905. it snapped 10000 00 acres
OF land for the price of the build
ing. This was in the days. however.
when 1t was actually rather hard
for the state to get nd OF It's and.
Now. no such condition exists. as
the report of the commissioner
shows. numerous tempting bids be-
ing received whenever the state
announces it will take tenders on
land.
The answer Is: oil. Where for
merry sheep and cattle had a diff
ficult time getting enough forage
off the land to sustain life. there
now are countless oil wells dotting
the horizon. flowing millions OF
dollars yearly into the Golfers OF
the state in the form Of royalties
and other millions in gross re-
ceipt and production taxes Of oil.
gas and gasoline.
Jumps S1i,60o 600
Commissioner Walkers report
shows that during the 1858 ben
mum, the state received only S4,-
754,722.7o from its lands. OF TINS
amount only Sl59,04l vas in royal
ties and fees, the remainder beng
rentals and payment on land.
The report covering the period
between Oct. l. 1928 and Sept. 80,
1880, shows the total receipts into
the land office were Si3. 799, 240.96.
Of this amount S565, 48424 was re-
turned to the customers of the state
due TO overpayments. During the
first year Of the biennium, a to-
tai Of S6.S25, 1851 was collected,
while during the second year the
collections scared to $500, 1857.
The oil royalties for the two years
totaled s6,264,002.48. OF this amount,
s 2,8T6.161.14 was deposited to the
credit OF the University of Texas
from leases on lands set aside by
the constitution. S2.l51 ,288.71 from
leases on free public school land,
and S236.552.63 from leases on river
beds and submerged coastal areas.
The remainder OF the Sl3, 799.-
240.99 was received in the form Of
bonuses for the lease Of land, some
Of it the most valuaD's oil areas in
the country. and in payments on
land that has been under lease for
many years.
Since 1916, a total Of $50, 2S6 .526.49
has been collected in payments On
principal. interest AMI lease rentals
on acreage owned by the land en-
lowed: institutions Of the state. The
report shows a gradual rise in the
receipts of the land office. from
the time when the major portion of
the land was used strictly for
farming and stock raising purposSr.
to the present era Of unprecedented
oil development
Figure Facts
Collections in fol6-l9l8 totaled
s4.754.7 22 20: in %I9I8-le20. s7.577.-
5000: in 192o-1e22. 5.036. I9I AS;
in 1e22-le24. s6541. 55s22; in 1924
1926. sl0.0e2. 7s412: in 1926-le28
si2.4S435S.63: in l92s-l93o. sl3,-
79924o98
During the two years Just passed,
] 296235-21 acres. ~aggregating ST.
7~3e.i77.82 IN notes. have been paid
in full for ~patenting. The number
OF acres sold. but which has not
been paid. totals 20,273.451.23 with
OBLIGATIONS thereon amounting to
32078.176.8o.
Detailed deposits TO the credit OF
the various funds from Sept. /,
1923 to Sept. /, 1929 were:
Permanent school fund, sl,070,-
e2845; available school fund. ST.
l76,269.04l first pay permanent
school fund: SI.016,I 26. 40; perman-
ent university fund. S324.56l avail
able university fund, S3.44S.76: first
pay permanent university. sl,7sl.-
690.69: first pay available univers-
ity fund. s24.384.60; permanent deaf
and dumb asylum, S2.471 70: avail
able deaf and dumb asylum. S63067:
permanent lunatic asylum, $500:
available lunatic asylum, s33576.
permanent blind asylum, s7el2e
available blind asylum. SAGE. 40.
permanent orphan asylum, sl.3e5:
available orphan asylum. s52688;
general revenue. Sl77.16295.
Sept. /. 1929 to Aug. 81. 1890:
Permanent school fund. 1922
707.lS; available school fund. ST.
061 .463.9s: first pay permanent
school. 1882 1876 Is: first pay avail
able school. s706.6I: perraren. uni
versity. s63S.77: available unlvers-
ity. s297.058.6l: first paw
ent university. S3.9I2693sf: first
pay available university. s7.74O;
permanent deaf and dumb ASYLUM.
81 .608.63: available deaf and dumb
asylum c52998: permanent lunatic
ASYLUM, ~sl-320.S2: available lunatic
asylum. s21s94: permanent blind
asylum sS5i.80; available blind asy-
lum. S422o7 permanent orphan
asylum. $3.50; available orphan asv-
hum s455.32: general revenue, $780,
1882.
Universitv Wealthy
Records In the office Of w. Greg
ory Hatcher. state treasurer. show
that bonds totalinr S3S.5T303 have
peen deposited to the credit OF the
permanent free public school fund
The fund also showed a cash bal
ancc Of Sf45 o73 as OF Aug. 81.
The University Of Texas per-
manent fund had s"i6.6sS250 IN
bonds to its credit with the state
treasurer on Aug. 81 and a cash bal
ance OF sci .45837.
The university and the board of
fducation are permitted to use orlv
the interest on their permane-
funds FIR Improvement purposes :
provision OF the constitution pre- 2
h'h'tinc depletion Of the funds &c
anv cause.