672 



OREGON. 



in Quebec, in 1887, of representatives of the 

 provinces of Canada, suggesting amendments 

 to the Federal Constitution, assented to by the 

 British Parliament in July, 18G7. 



Miscellaneous. The public events of 1888 in- 

 cluded the formal opening, on May 24, of the 

 Canadian Park at Niagara Falls; the election 

 of four members to the Legislature, through 

 the deaths of the sitting members, the result 

 being a net loss of one seat to the Government, 

 which is sustained in the Legislature by a 

 majority of 25 in a house of 91 members ; the 

 decision by the Imperial Privy Council of 

 Great Britain, in a lawsuit appealed from the 

 Supreme Court of Canada, awarding to Ontario 

 a large tract of timber-lands, the ownership 

 of which was in dispute, owing to their being 

 Indian lands. 



OREGON. State Government. The following 

 were the State officers during the year : Gov- 

 ernor, Sylvester Pennoyer (Democrat) ; Sec- 

 retary of State, George W. McBride ; Treas- 

 urer, George W. Webb ; Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction, E. B. McElroy ; Chief- 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, William P. 

 Lord ; Associate Justices, William W. Thayer, 

 and Reuben S. Strahan. 



Finances. The following is a statement of 

 the indebtedness of Oregon on Jan. 1, 1889: 

 Principal, $35,705.96; interest, $25,058.24; 

 less funds applicable to its payment, $31,351.- 

 54; net indebtedness, $29,411.66. All other 

 indebtedness is nominal and fully provided for. 

 It is expected that the debt will have been 

 extinguished before the year is over. 



The expenditures in 1887-'88 were as follow : 



Total amount of warrants drawn 

 during- term for expenditures 

 during term $703,656 53 



Deficiencies Jan. 1, 18M(, for which 



warrants are yet to be drawn 1 6,372 66 



$777,029 19 



Deduct expenses previously In- 

 curred $45,740 70 



Expenditures for public buildings. . $5,62!) 66 



Expenditures on account of trust 

 funds and funds arising from spe- 

 cial tax 65,466 99 



196.837 35 



Ordinary expenses $530.191 84 



The expenditures for 1887-'88 were swollen 

 by the outlay of about $25,000 on account of 

 the Railroad Commission and the Fish Com- 

 mission, with the outlay thereunder, to which 

 the previous term was not subjected. 



Education. The following is a statement of 

 the total amounts of the common-school funds 

 on January 1 of each year: 1885, $868.735.16; 

 1887,11,059,409.01; 1889, $1,756,700.90; in- 

 crease of funds in 1885-'8S, $190,637.85; and 

 increase of funds in 1887-'88, $697,291.89. The 

 interest arising from the fund during the past 

 few v ear.s has been distributed as follows: 



There were also on Jan. 1, 1889, in the other 

 trust funds, the following amounts : Agricult- 

 ural College fund, notes and rash. 100,511,- 

 80 ; Agricultural College fund, due on certifi- 

 cates of sale, $12,627.57 ; total, 113,139.37; 

 University fund, notes and rash, s^o.733.7l; 

 University fund, due on certificates, 1,472.- 

 32; total, $82,206.93. The money belonging 

 to the foregoing trust funds is loaned on land 

 at one third of its appraised value. 



Agricultural College. This institution has an 

 endowment of upward of $1')0,000, the pro- 

 ceeds of the sale of the Agricultural College 

 lauds given by the General Government to the 

 State. It also receives $15,000 a year from 

 the Federal Government under the Hatch act. 

 It has a commodious building, erected by the 

 citizens of Corvallis. All that is needed to 

 give it a fair start is to furnish it with the 

 necessary land for a farm for which the Leg- 

 islature has been asked to appropriate $10,000. 

 When this shall have been received and the 

 free scholarships abolished, the Agricultural 

 College at Corvallis, like the State University 

 at Eugene, will be able with frugal manage- 

 ment to enjoy a prosperous existence without 

 being a pensioner upon the tax-payers of the 

 State. By authority of law, the Governor has 

 accepted the college buildings and grounds for 

 and in behalf of the State, and as such prop- 

 erty is under State control, and in the peace- 

 able possession of the State by virtue of deeds 

 of title and possession, no suit can be main- 

 tained against the State in regard to it. 



State University. From the report o? the 

 president of the regents of the State Univer- 

 sity it appears that the institution now has, 

 besides the Villard fund of $50, 000, an endow- 

 ment of over $80,000 arising from the sales 

 of University lands, and that over 15,000 acres 

 of such lands remain unsold. Of the 110 pu- 

 pils in attendance at the university during the 

 present year, 56 paid tuition and 54 had free 

 scholarships. With its present endowment, and 

 with the abolition of free scholarship, says the 

 Governor, the State University can now pros- 

 per without imposing any further tax upon 

 the people. Certain funds belonging to the 

 State University at Eugene have been diverted 

 for the support of a law school at Portland ; 

 but there is no authority of law for such di- 

 version of the funds of the State University. 

 It is suggested that the State should pro- 

 vide funds for the support of a school of medi- 

 cine at Portland ; but there is now in that city 

 a college of medicine, built by private indi- 

 viduals, at a cost of $25,000. 



The Salmon-Fishery. Concerning these inter- 

 ests, the Governor in his message says : 



Positive prohibitory enactments should be made 

 against the taking of salmon in the Columbia river 

 and its tributaries by either fish-traps or fish-wheels. 

 There ought to be b'ut one mode provided by law for 

 the taking of salmon, and that mode should be the 

 one open to all classes, and by which no monopoly or 

 undue advantage can be had. It is due to those who 

 will come after 'us that the fishing interest ofour State 



