458 



KANSAS. 



edness of $15,951,929.86. On July 1, 1886, the ag- 

 gresate of this indebtedness had increased to $17,- 

 '779,299.42, and on July 1, 1888, it had reached the 

 appalling sura of $31,107,646.90, with $373,712.03 in 

 sulking funds, making the net municipal indebted- 

 ness to be yet provided for, 30,733.934.87. The 

 county bonds outstanding on the 1st of July, 1888, ag- 



fregated $13,207,265.25: and the county warrants, 

 732,963.37 ; township bonds outstanding, $7,162,- 

 002.65; and township warrants, $12,308.33; city 

 bonds outstanding, $5,244,307.40: and city warrants, 

 $164,168.66; school-district bonds outstanding, $4,- 

 513,237.59; and school-district warrants, $41,31)3.65; 

 making a total, as above stated, of $31,107,646.90. In 

 other words, the municipal indebtedness of Kansas 

 has been doubled since (in January, 1885) I called the 

 attention of the Legislature to this subject, and urged 

 that the most stringent restrictions and limitations be 

 put upon the debt-creating and tax-levying powers of 

 all municipalities. It seems to me, in view of the 

 facts and figures presented, that it is the imperative 

 duty of the Legislature to repeal at once every law 

 authorizing the creation of municipal debts for any 

 purpose whatever, except, perhaps, the building of 

 school-houses. 



Education. The report of the Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction shows the public-school 

 system of the State to be in a condition of steady 

 growth and improvement. The school popula- 

 tion for the past school year numbered 532,010, 

 an increase of 31,215 since 1886. The number 

 of pupils enrolled during the last school year 

 was 403,351, an increase of 38,112 over 1886. 

 The average daily attendance was 145,881, an 

 increase of 25,978. Number of teachers em- 

 ployed in 1886, 9,387; in 1883, 11,310. The 

 average wages paid teachers, per month, were: 

 Males, $41.01; females, $33.64. There were 

 in the State, at the close of the fiscal year, 

 8,166 school-houses, having 10,142 rooms, and 

 valued at $8,608,202 an increase of 1,405 

 school- houses, 1,958 rooms, and $2,015,455 in 

 valuation during the past two years. The re- 

 ceipts and expenditures during the school year 

 ending July 31, 1888, were as follow : 



Receipts. Balance in district treasuries, Aug. 1, 

 1887, $533,200.10; amount received from county 

 treasurers from district taxes, $3,075,867.81 ; from the 

 State and county school funds, $553,390.28 ; from sale 

 of school bonds, $900,597.83; from all other sources, 

 $202,557.84, making a total of $5,265,613.86. 



Expenditures. Amount paid for teachers' wages 

 and supervision, $2,677,513.29; for rents, repairs, 

 fuel, and incidentals, $636,567 ; for district libraries 

 and school apparatus, $62,893.45 ; for sites, buildings, 

 and furniture, $1,051,124.94; and for all other pur- 

 poses, $275,649.16 making a total of $4,703,:47.84, 

 and leaving in the hands of district treasurers, July 

 31, 1883, a balance of $561,966.02. 



The State University comprises six depart- 

 mentsscience, literature and arts, law, music, 

 pharmacy, art, and medicine. The preparatory 

 department has been recently discontinued, as 

 the normal department was a few years ago, 

 and advanced tests for admission have been 

 established, so that the institution may be de- 

 voted to legitimate university work. These 

 changes have largely reduced the number of 

 students qualified for admission, but, notwith- 

 standing this fact, the number in attendance 

 shows a steady and gratifying increase. On 

 Jan. 15, 1885, the students enrolled numbered 



419; and 24 professors, assistants, and in- 

 structors were employed. On Jan. 1, 1889, 

 843 students were enrolled, and the corps of 

 professors and instructors numbered 30. 



During the past four years important addi- 

 tions have been made to the buildings of the 

 university, including the " Snow Hall of Natu- 

 ral History," costing $50,000. 



The State Agricultural College on Dec. 31 

 had 359 students enrolled, an increase of 21 

 since the close of the autumn term of 1884. Its 

 instructors in all departments number 25, an 

 increase of 4 during the past four years. The 

 improvements in buildings and fixtures, since 

 Jan. 1, 1885, have aggregated in value $27,- 

 000, and the increase in the value of the farm, 

 furniture, stock, and apparatus is over $70,000. 



The State Normal School had 440 students 

 enrolled on Jan. 1, 1885, and 660 at the close 

 of 1888. Fourteen instructors are employed, 

 an increase of three in four years. The ex- 

 penditures during that period include $26,200 

 for buildings, $4,800 for museum and appara- 

 tus, and $5,000 for furniture and improvements. 



Charities. The institution for the blind had 

 in attendance on Jan. 1, 1885, 63 pupils; at 

 the close of 1888 it had 86. At the institution 

 for the deaf and dumb there were 172 pupils 

 at the beginning of 1885, and 321 on Dec. 31, 

 1888. Two large school-buildings and a laun- 

 dry have been erected during the past four 

 years, at a cost of $82,000. The Kansas insti- 

 tution for the deaf and dumb now ranks in 

 size as the eighth in the United States. 



The State Reform School had 103 pupils 

 enrolled on Jan. 1, 1885 ; it now has 208. 



The Soldiers' Orphans' Home, authorized by 

 the Legislature of 1885, was opened for the 

 reception of children on July 1, 1887. It was 

 soon crowded beyond its capacity, and is now 

 the home of 109 orphan children of deceased 

 soldiers of the Union. The law authorizes the 

 admission of children under sixteen years of 

 age, but the board has been compelled to ex- 

 clude all over ten years. Additional buildings 

 are absolutely necessary to accommodate the 

 demands mad'e upon it. 



The Asylum for Idiotic and Imbecile Youth 

 was removed to Winfield in March, 1887. There 

 are now over one hundred children cared for 

 in this institution. The new building is well 

 adapted for the uses of such an asylum, and 

 was completed at a cost of $25,000. 



The insane asylums at Topeka and Ossawat- 

 oraie contained at the close of the year 1,203 

 patients. On July 1, 1882, the insane patients 

 in these asylums numbered 548 ; at the same 

 date in 1884, the number had increased to 692 ; 

 on July 1, 1886, to 881 ; and on July 1, 1888, 

 to 1,181. 



During the past four years the State has ex- 

 pended for new buildings, and for permanent 

 improvements at its insane asylums, over $353,- 

 000. Yet to-day it is confronted with an ap- 

 parent necessity of providing additional ac- 

 commodations for this class of dependents. 



