UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



685 



assessed in 1901, ranging from 1 to 55 wires to 

 each pole. The total assessed valuation for the 

 telegraph-lines of the State was $258,134.20. In 



1900 there were assessed 3,048.40 miles of tele- 

 graph-lines, at a valuation of $259,317.40. 



Insurance. The last statement of the State 

 Treasurer gives 83 insurance companies author- 

 ized to do business in the State in 1900. Of these 

 54 were fire insurance companies, 10 life insur- 

 ance companies, 19 miscellaneous insurance. The 

 aggregate losses of the fire insurance companies 

 in 1900 were $438,228.24, and the receipts for the 

 same period $808,703.31. Nine life insurance 

 companies reported loss of $265,455.32; receipts 

 of the 10 doing business were $918,526. Seven 

 of the miscellaneous companies reported no loss; 

 the aggregate losses of 12 were $38,765.08; the 

 receipts of the 19 companies doing business in 

 the State were $95,596.06. The total profits of 

 all insurance companies doing business in the 

 State were $1,080,377.44 for 1900. 



Fish and Sponge. The number of barrels of 

 fish caught in 1900 was 177,950, value $983,000. 

 The yield and value of the sponge-fisheries of 

 the State, as stated by the United States Com- 

 missioner of Fish and Fisheries in his last report, 

 were as follow: In 1895, 306,120 pounds, value 

 $386,871; in 1896, 236,311 pounds, value $273,- 

 012; in 1899, 304,400 pounds, value $367,914; in 



1900, 364,999 pounds, value $567,685. Five mil- 

 lion shad fry were placed in Florida streams in 



1901 by the State Fish Commission. 

 Penitentiary. On Dec. 31, 1901, there were 



923 State convicts, of whom 119 were white and 

 904 colored, divided as follow: White males, 118; 

 white females, 1 ; negro males, 888 ; negro females, 

 16. In the year 1901 8 convicts died from natural 

 causes, and 2 were killed while endeavoring to 

 escape; 15 escaped, and 13 were pardoned. In 



1901, 220 convicts were discharged by limitation 

 of sentence, and 401 new prisoners were com- 

 mitted. 



The death-rate in 1901 was remarkably low. 

 The condition of the State convicts has much im- 

 proved since they were placed under the charge of 

 a State supervisor; they are furnished with com- 

 fortable quarters and good food and clothing. Be- 

 fore the appointment of a State supervisor to 

 visit the camps at which the convicts are worked 

 and enforce compliance with the convict laws 

 the convicts were made to work and to sleep in 

 shackles; they are now freed from all chains, and 

 the number of escapes is 50 per cent. less. 



Corporations. The following figures, includ- 

 ing the period from Dec. 31, 1900, to Dec. 1, 

 1901, are believed to be accurate: Articles of in- 

 corporation issued, 88. These included 18 to 

 manufacturing enterprises, 1 to building and loan 

 association, 13 to transportation, dockage, and 

 telephone companies, 4 to mutual benefit associa- 

 tions, 2 to fair associations, 3 to agricultural en- 

 terprises, 2 to mining companies, 10 to land com- 

 panies, 5 to publishing companies, 3 to banking 

 companies. Lumbering enterprises on a very large 

 scale were undertaken this year, which also saw 

 the beginning of boring for coal-oil. 



Militia. The authorized strength of the Flori- 

 da State troops is: 1,024 privates, 229 non-com- 

 missioned officers, 109 field and staff officers. The 

 actual strength on Jan. 1, 1901, was: Governor's 

 staff, 10; officers of all ranks, 106; enlisted men, 

 1,084; a total of 1,200 men. During the year 1901 

 the expenses of the State troops amounted to 

 $4,011.82; expenses of troops for military occupa- 

 tion of Jacksonville after the great fire, $12,734.66. 



Jacksonville. The metropolis of the State 

 was nearly destroyed by fire on May 3. The fire 



a chimney which 



t.'mil by u high 

 - beyond Control. 



.'-.i'fb'S houses, \va 



" i' 1 "' bloek.s in 

 ion, I H wre lotal- 

 >u-,iM'--. bloeks, the 



i.OOO.- 



was started by a spark 

 fell into a pile of fibo, 

 wind, and in a few minui 

 An area of 455 acres, h,i 

 burned over in about six I 

 the limits of the old incorp 

 ly destroyed ; 50 of those \v 

 remainder the finest residence; poi \.i<ii\ <,\ 

 and 9,501 persons were burned out of 1 

 of places of business. The property ]<>.-, 

 mated at about $11,000,000, with about. 

 000 of insurance. The city received outside K bet 

 amounting to $240,000 in money, and about. *<;o,- 

 000 in supplies. It showed wonderful recuperative 

 power, and at the end of eight months from tl it- 

 time of the fire had issued nearly 1,400 buildin" 

 permits, generally for a better class of buildings 

 than those destroyed. 



Legislative Session. The biennial session of 

 the Legislature opened on April 2 and ended 

 May 31. A large number of bills were passed, 

 few being of general importance. The appropria- 

 tions for educational purposes were unusually lib- 

 eral; and extraordinary measures were taken for 

 the relief of sufferers by the Jacksonville fire, and 

 for the purpose of reestablishing legal records and 

 papers destroyed in the fire. 



Gov. Jennings, in his message to the Legisla- 

 ture, said : " One of the most important questions 

 for your consideration is that of taxation. Under 

 our present system of valuation, property in some 

 of the counties is assessed at 90 per cent, its value, 

 and in others at less than 20 per cent. 1 recom- 

 mend a board of equalization." This suggestion 

 was acted upon. 



The most important acts passed by the Legis- 

 lature are as follow: 



To provide for the inspection and analysis of 

 and to regulate the sale of commercial fertilizers, 

 manurial chemicals, cottonseed meal, castor pum- 

 ice, tobacco-stems, tobacco-dust, or tobacco-meal. 



To amend an act to provide for a board of 

 phosphate commissioners and an inspector of 

 phosphate. 



To authorize any person, association, or union 

 of working men to adopt and use a label or trade- 

 mark, to protect the same by law, to provide for 

 its record. 



To protect contractors, mechanics, and material 

 men, and to provide for summary collection of 

 moneys due them for wages or materials fur- 

 nished. 



To authorize a married woman under age to 

 convey real estate. 



To regulate the holding of political primary 

 elections. 



A joint resolution favoring the election of 

 United States Senators by the people was passed. 



To provide for the issue, custody, redemption, 

 sale, and transfer of tax-sale certificates, and the 

 issue of tax deeds. This act is an attempt to 

 rectify a state of affairs that has caused the 

 State much loss of taxes, and property-holders 

 much hardship. 



GEORGIA, a Southern State, one of the orig- 

 inal thirteen, ratified the Constitution Jan. 2, 

 1788; area, 59,475 square miles! The population, 

 according to each decennial census, was 82.548 in 

 1790; 162,686 in 1800; 252,433 in 1810; 340,985 

 in 1820; 516,823 in 1830; 691,392 in 1840: 906.185 

 in 1850; 1,057,286 in 1860; 1,184,109 in 1870; 

 1,542,180 in 1880; 1,837,353 in 1890; and 2,216,331 

 in 1900. Capital, Atlanta. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1901, all of whom hold through the year 

 1902: Governor, Allen D. Candler: Secretary of 

 State, Philip Cook; Treasurer, Robert E. Park; 



