-REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR OF NEW MEXICO.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE,

Santa Fe, N. Mex., September 15, 1908.

SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith my annual report on the Territory of New Mexico for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1908.

GENERAL CONDITIONS.

The past year has been one of unusual growth and prosperity in this Territory. Taking it as a whole, from north to south and from east to west, the growth and improvement has never before been duplicated in the history of New Mexico.

New lines of railroad are being built into undeveloped coal fields, rich mining districts and timber regions, and through farming sections, bringing in thousands of settlers and hastening the development of the Territory in general.

Mercantile and banking pursuits have kept pace with the growth in all other branches of business. Seventeen new banks, 9 national and 8 territorial, have been established during the past year.

The development of the coal-mining industry has increased correspondingly. It is estimated that during the past year the coal mines of New Mexico have produced 2,530,000 tons of coal at an average selling price at the mine on board cars of $1.60 per ton, and 225,000 tons of coke at an average selling price of $4 per ton.

The lumber mills in New Mexico have during the past year produced an average of 300,000 feet per day.

It is conservatively estimated that the wealth of the Territory has during the past year increased not less than $25,000,000, and the indications are that the coming year will show a still greater increase. Never in the history of the Territory have better conditions prevailed so far as law and order are concerned than at the present time. No unusual disturbances have occurred in the way of strikes or lawlessness.

New Mexico is to be congratulated upon the high standard maintained in her courts and the satisfactory condition of the business of both the United States district and territorial courts. The records of the six districts bear gratifying evidence not only to the law-abiding character of the people, but to the promptness and efficiency with which the business of the courts is dispatched by the judges and the court officers.

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Even with the inadequate means of estimate available it is possible to assert that immigration during the past twelve months exceeds that of any previous year in the history of the Territory, not excepting even the record-breaking year of 1906-7, when more than 15,000 homestead entries were made and when all available records indicated an increase in population of not less than 75,000.

The general election of 1906 indicated an increase of 20 per cent in population over the record of the 1904 election, although the 1906 vote did not include a large part of new population. There is every reason to expect the election returns of November, 1908, to indicate that New Mexico's population exceeds 450,000, although this year, again, many new people will not be entitled to vote.

The records of the United States land offices furnish the most accurate immigration record and the most reliable index to population increase available up to the census of 1910. These records, however, show only that portion of the new population going to the public domain, and are therefore unsatisfactory, since they do not indicate the very great increase in population of the cities and towns, the mining districts, and particularly in the irrigated farming districts.

There are now five United States land offices in New Mexico, the fifth, at Tucumcari, having been established in April, 1908, in order to relieve the press of business upon the office at Clayton. The following statement shows the number of original homestead entries made through each land office, the number of desert land entries. and the acreage of each, during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1908. Entries made at each land office.