UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



735 



for white children. The results in those are as 

 favorable as in similar schools among the whites; 

 but they are at a disadvantage as compared with 

 the United States schools, because they are un- 

 able to carry out the industrial features of the 

 latter, in addition to the two large industrial 

 schools named, the United States Government 

 also maintains smaller schools of like character 

 in different parts of the Territory, and there are 

 also several denominational schools conducted on 

 the same general plan. The total number of In- 

 dian children regularly attending school during 

 the year is given by the Superintendent of Edu- 

 cation at 1,700. 



The educational system of New Mexico is now 

 as good as that of any State in the Union. Pub- 

 lic schools on the " American plan " (with Spanish 

 added in the country districts) are now regularly 

 maintained in all parts of the Territory, while 

 the higher branches are amply provided for at 

 the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, 

 Territorial normal schools at Las Vegas and Sil- 

 ver City, the Agricultural College at Las Graces, 

 the School of Mines at Socorro, and the Military 

 Institute at Roswell all maintained through lib- 

 eral appropriations by the Legislature, and open 

 to all the young people of the Territory. 



Mining. The work of mining the precious 

 metals went on steadily and quite successfully 

 throughout the year. There were no " booms " or 

 unusual " strikes," but the gross output is reck- 

 oned at $6,000,000. A very large area of coal and 

 iron land passed to private ownership this year, 

 and the ore is rapidly being developed. The out- 

 put of coal for the year is estimated at 1,500,000 

 tons, with a value at the mines of $1,800,000. 

 This industry gives employment to 2,000 persons. 

 The coke production for the year was 42,732 tons, 

 valued at $117,576. Daily shipments of iron ore 

 were made to the Bessemer Steel Works in Colo- 

 rado, but no record of the volume of such ship- 

 ments is obtainable, -though the total amount is 

 estimated at about 18,000 tons. Much attention 

 has been given to coal-oil, and lands supposed to 

 be oil-bearing have been bought in large tracts 

 in different parts of the Territory. A good deal 

 of work has been done in the way of prospecting 

 and boring, but no oil has yet been found in pay- 

 ing quantities. 



Legislative Session. The session of the Leg- 

 islature began Jan. 21 and ended March 21. 

 Among the acts passed were an amendment of 

 the school law; a public-land law, which regu- 

 lates the lease and sale of lands granted by Con- 

 gress for educational purposes; the law governing 

 the administration of estates; and the property- 

 rights law, which provides that property owned 

 by husband or wife at the time of marriage, or 

 such as may come to either party by inheritance 

 or gift during coverture, may be disposed of by 

 such party without the consent of the other, but 

 does not affect the equal rights of the parties to 

 all property acquired through the efforts of one 

 or both during coverture. 



The Commission on Irrigation and Water 

 Rights, created by the last Legislature, was 

 obliged to consume the greater portion of the year 

 in examining and classifying the lands at its dis- 

 posal. Contracts were entered into for reclaim- 

 ing 50,000 acres of arid land, through the build- 

 ing of reservoirs and storing of water, and con- 

 tracts are pending for the construction of works 

 capable of storing a sufficient supply to reclaim 

 an additional area of 145,000 acres. 



General Development. New Mexico made 

 more progress in 1901 than in any other year 

 since it became a part of the United States, ex- 



\<JL i he advent 

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eept possibly 1 ss i . i 



of the Atehisoii, 



which was the In -i 



tory. The new rail 



to settlement se\<i,i 



considerable number 



for themselves in the t> 



practicable to obtain walei 



irrigation. 



All that large portion of New Mr i, 

 tween the Rio Grande arid the |:i., |-, 

 tending from latitude 32 to :j.V, h., 

 been practically closed to settlers 'and 

 ers by reason of the lack of any modem m. 

 of communication. This district, as great in 

 as the 3 States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and 

 New Hampshire, now has 3 railroad lines, 1 oi 

 which, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, 

 projected diagonally through the region in ques- 

 tion from northeast to southwest, was well-nigh 

 completed during the year, while both the other 

 roads are being pushed forward as rapidly as 

 practicable. A portion of this district, a strip 

 on the eastern slope of the Sandia, Manzano, and 

 Oscura mountains, covering an area 20 miles east 

 and west by 100 miles north and south, has a 

 rainfall sufficient to enable it to produce good 

 crops without irrigation, and these lands are es- 

 pecially sought for by settlers who come from 

 the humid sections of the country. This section is 

 also desirable because of its proximity to the 

 mountains, where there is abundance of timber. 



The good work by the United States Court of 

 Private Land Claims in settling the titles to Span- 

 ish and Mexican land grants continued through 

 the year. This tribunal has now nearly com- 

 pleted its mission. In 1901 it considered 3,669,- 

 716 acres claimed as grant lands, of which 25,667 

 acres were confirmed to the claimants, as being 

 valid grants, and 3,644,049 acres were rejected 

 as grant lands and added to the public domain. 



The industrial development of New Mexico in 

 1901 is well illustrated by the unusually large 

 number of companies formed for industrial pur- 

 poses, exceeding the number organized in any 

 other year in the history of the Territory. There 

 were 149 incorporations, with a total capitaliza- 

 tion of $89,735,935. Of the incorporations for the 

 year, 65 were for mining, milling, and smelting, 

 having a combined capitalization of $51,885,000; 

 47 for manufacturing and other industrial pur- 

 poses, with a capitalization of $2,817,425; and 19 

 for the development of coal-oil, capitalized at $15,- 

 550,000. 



The acreage of public land disposed of by the 

 4 United States land offices of the Territory was 

 673,161 acres, an increase of 151,516 acres over 

 the amount disposed of in 1900. Fully half of all 

 the land taken during the year was entered un- 

 der the provisions of the homestead laws, showing 

 that the lands were taken by persons who in- 

 tended to live upon and cultivate them. Here- 

 tofore the bulk of the transactions consisted of 

 mineral, coal, and desert entries, which are usu- 

 ally made for speculation. 



The live-stock industry was more than usually 

 nourishing during the year. High prices pre- 

 vailed, favorable weather brought an abundant 

 crop of grass on all the ranges, effective quaran- 

 tine and cattle sanitary regulations prevented 

 introduction or spread of infectious disease- 

 mild weather during the autumn and early \ 

 ter brought the herds in all parts of the 1 

 up to the close of the year in good eomlil 

 market, The total number of sheep is placed 

 the Territorial authorities at 5.000.00C 

 the year's lamb crop is estimated at 1^0< 



