TEXAS. 



to be used in the construction of a medical de- 

 partment at Galveston; $18,500 for enlarging 

 the Asylum for the Blind; $20,000 for a new 

 dormitory and hall at the Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical "College ; $25.890 for additions and 

 improvements at the State Reformatory ; $18,- 

 000, $25,000, and $15,000 for similar purposes 

 at the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Prairie View 

 Normal School, and State Orphan Asylum at 

 Corsicana, respectively. The total appropria- 

 tions of the session amounted to $1,241,471.17. 

 With regard to the State Capitol, the Legis- 

 lature passed a bill appointing the Governor, 

 Treasurer, Comptroller, and Commissioner of 

 the General Land-Office, a board for the pur- 

 pose of accepting or rejecting the building, and 

 another bill creating a Capitol-furnishing board 

 of three members, appointed by the Governor, 

 to superintend the expenditure of the above- 

 named appropriation for furnishing and grad- 

 ing the grounds. Other acts were-: 



Providing that the Commissioner of Agriculture 

 shall cause^a geological and mineral ogicil survey of 

 ..re to be made, and appropriating $15,000 there- 

 for. 



Amending the general incorporation law so as to 

 permit the incorporation of mercantile companies to 

 purchase and sell goods, wares, and merchandise, and 

 agricultural and farm produ 



Requiring the assessment of property for taxes that 

 may be removed from the State before January 1 to 

 evade taxation, provided it be returned to tl: 

 before the tax-rolls are completed for the year. 



To establish a tax-lien upon property' assigned or 

 levied upon bv creditors. 



Providinrr tliat the county or district attorney or At- 

 torney-General may procure issuance of the writ of in- 

 junction to prohibit, prevent, or restrain the violation 

 of any revenue or penal law of the State. 



Requiring suits to be instituted by order of commis- 

 sioners' courts to recover taxes due on unrendered 

 persona] property. 



The session adjourned on May 15. 



Finances. At the close of the fiscal year, Au- 

 gust 31. there was a balance in the treasury of 

 $1,261,000 to the general revenue and $83^000 

 to the available school fund. The general rev- 

 enue surplus, one year previously, was $888,- 

 970.44. By the reduction of the tax-rate at 

 the special session to 10 cents, it is estimated 

 .000 of annual revenue will be cut off, 

 while the extraordinary appropriations of the 

 special session will furt'her reduce the surplus, 

 so that, according to the Comptroller's esti- 

 mate, only about $70,000 will remain in the 

 treasury on Aug. 31, 1889. The balance of 

 $83,000 in the school-fund is produced by ad- 

 dition to the fund of $504.000 loaned to it by 

 act of the special session. The actual deficiency 

 of the fund is. therefore, about $420,000. 



The total bonded debt of the State, on Au- 

 gust 31. was $4.237.730. of which $3,017,100 

 is held by the State in its various special funds, 

 and $1.220,680 by individuals. The only bonds 

 falling due in 1890 and 1891 are $200,000, of 

 revenue 6-per-cent. deficiency bonds, none of 

 which are held by individuals. 



Education. The report of the State Superin- 

 tendent shows the total scholastic population 



of the State, for the school year 1886-'87, to 

 have been 489,795, an increase of 37.117 in one 

 year; 364,953 being white and 124,842 colored. 

 Of this number, 295,510 white and 113,150 

 colored children, or 408,660 in all, were en- 

 rolled in the public schools, an increase of 

 5.349 over 1885-'86. There were 6,911 schools 

 for white children and 2,076 for colored chil- 

 dren maintained during the year, a total in- 

 crease of 267. In the white schools 8,232 

 teachers were employed at an average month- 

 ly salary of $43.27 in the counties and $69.32 

 in the cities; in the colored schools 2,891 

 teachers were employed at a monthly salary of 

 $38.65 in the counties and $49.78 in the cities. 

 The average school term in the counties was 

 5-' i? months: in cities. 7'92 months. During 

 the year the amount of the school-fund appor- 

 tioned to counties was $2.362.226.25 or $4.75 

 per capita. This apportionment was $400,000 

 in excess of the school-fund revenue for the 

 year. For 1887- <I 88 the total school apportion- 

 ment was $2,235.551. $4.50 for each child. 



Charities. The State Orphan Asylum estab- 

 lished by the Legislature in 1887 was located 

 by commissioners at Corsicana, on a tract given 

 by that city. Buildings were in process of 

 erection at the close of the year for the accom- 

 modation of 200 children. 



The Institute for Deaf, Dumb, and Blind 

 Colored Youth, established at Austin by the 

 same Legislature, was completed during the 

 year, and many of beneficiaries were received. 



Prison*. The report of the State Penitentiary 

 for the two years ending in November is as 

 follows: Convicts, Xov. 1. 1S>0. 2.859: con- 

 victs. Xov. 1, 1888, 3,302 ; increase 442. High- 

 est number at any time, on July 25, 1888, 3,396 ; 

 average number daily. 3,129. Cash receipts, 

 $1.256.795.44: cash disbursements. $1,226.- 

 212.10; cash balance, $80,588.84. The num- 

 ber of deaths for the period, 223, is high. 



The State Reformatcry. established by the 

 Legislature of 1887, was located by commis- 

 sioners in Coryell County, near Gntesville. on a 

 farm of 696 acres purchased for $10,000. They 

 expended $62,157 for buildings, which were 

 completed and transferred to the State on Xo- 

 vember 10. The institution was opened, and 

 the youthful prisoners transferred thereto by 

 proclamation of the Governor of Jan. 1, 1889. 



Statistics. The following figures for the year 

 ending Jan. 1, 1888, are taken from the annual 

 report of the Commissioner of Agriculture : 



Population 2.015.032 



Cotton : Acres planted 



Bales made 1.123.237 



Value of crop *4-~ 



Wheat : Acres planted 



Bushels made -MI 4 - 4 ? 4 



Value of crop - $ : 



Corn : Acres planted 2.929.207 



Bushels made f>5.77.\745 



Value of crop $- 



Oats : Acres planted 



Bushels made 13.4 



Value of crop f -* - 



There are 422 saw-mills, with a capital of 

 $3,147,633; 17 cotton-seed oil-mills, with a 



