70S 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (MAINE.) 



Clerk, W. S. Choate. All are Republicans ex- 

 cept Justice Strout. 



The term of the State officers is two years. 

 The State election takes place on the second 

 Monday in September of the even-numbered years. 

 The Legislature meets biennially the first Wednes- 

 day in January in the odd-numbered years. The 

 session is not limited. 



Census Returns. A bulletin of the Census 

 Bureau gives the following figures for Maine: 

 Males, 350,995; females, 343,471; natives, 601,136; 

 foreign, 93,330; whites, 692,226; colored, 2,240, 

 including 1,319 negroes, 119 Chinese, 4 Japanese, 

 and 798 Indians. The percentage of urban popu- 

 lation is 36.2. 



Finances. The regular reports of the Treas- 

 urer are made to the Legislature, and a summary 

 of that for the biennium that closed at the be- 

 ginning of the year will be found in the Annual 

 Cyclopaedia for 1900. The Legislature this year 

 adopted measures for increasing the revenue by 

 special franchise taxes, increasing the rates for 

 corporations, etc. The State tax levied at present 

 is 2| mills, yielding from cities, towns, and or- 

 ganized plantations $927,725. The State ex- 

 penses average nearly $2,000,000 annually. On 

 account of the school tax, about $665,000 was 

 paid back to cities and towns in 1901 ; of the 422 

 towns and 79 plantations, 245 receive more than 

 they pay into the State treasury. The increase 

 by reason of the additional taxes on corporations 

 amounted to about $300,000. The steam railroads 

 pay more than $300,000 annually as their fran- 

 chise tax. In addition, they are taxed on all 

 their buildings, lands, and fixtures outside of 

 their located right of way in each city and town 

 in which these are located, as other property is 

 taxed therein. The savings-banks pay a tax of | 

 and of 1 per cent, on all their deposits, | of 

 1 per cent, on all deposits invested in securities 

 beyond . the limits of the State, and f of 1 per 

 cent, on their deposits invested in securities with- 

 in the limits of the State. The total as assessed 

 for the year was $500,733.42. That on trust and 

 banking companies was $22,513.80. The telephone 

 companies were taxed this year $14,210, against 

 $11,020 in 1900. Telegraph and telephone com- 

 panies whose receipts are under $1,000 are not 

 taxed. The minimum tax on general corporations 

 is $5; on a capital of $1,000,000 it is $50. The 

 total receipts from corporation organizations and 

 franchise taxes was about $92,000. The Treasurer 

 received, Nov. 1, $20,154 for dog licenses; from 

 this claims for damage to domestic animals are 

 paid. The bounties on wild animals are abolished. 



The State had claims against the Government 

 on account of expenditures for the Spanish War 

 amounting to $87,434.80. Of this, $34,675.70 was 

 disallowed and suspended. The remainder is paid. 



Valuations. The valuation of the State has 

 increased in eleven years from $255,000,000 to 

 about $300,000,000. Penobscot and Aroostook 

 Counties have made large gains, the former hav- 

 ing increased in valuation $901,000 in one year. 



Education. The total amount of the school 

 fund and mill tax for 1901 was $562,162.18, an 

 increase over that of 1900, caused by the increase 

 in the tax received from savings-banks (one-half 

 of which goes to schools) and by the growth in 

 the valuation of the State, the schools receiving 

 as a mill tax 1 mill on every dollar of valuation. 



The total number of pupils in the State is 211,- 

 834, an increase of 1,391 over last year, which 

 gives $2.65 to each pupil. 



The graduating class at the Farmington Nor- 

 mal School in June numbered 44. The Castine 

 Normal School opened with 130 in September. 



At the State University, at Orono, 369 students 

 were in attendance in May, of whom 297 were in 

 the regular classes, 13 were specials, 22 in a short 

 course in agriculture, and 37 in the law school. 

 The faculty and staff numbered 56. A class of 

 41 was graduated in June. The university re- 

 ceived this year $25,000 from the Government, 

 not including what was given for the experiment 

 station. 



Bowdoin College graduated 57 in June. At the 

 opening of the one hundred and seventh year of 

 the college, in September, more than 70 w r ere 

 registered in the entering class. Gen. Thomas H. 

 Hubbard, of New York, has given $250,000 for 

 a new library building, which is in process of 

 construction. 



The enrolment at Bates College, Lewiston, in 

 December, was 293, of whom 92 were freshmen 

 the largest class ever entered. Four instructors 

 have been added to the faculty this year. 



At Colby College, Waterville, 32 were gradu- 

 ated, of whom 6 were women. The question of 

 continuing to receive girls at the college was thor- 

 oughly and warmly discussed at the meeting of 

 the alumni association. Four petitions had been 

 afloat among the graduates, and were numerously 

 signed by adherents of the two sides. A motion 

 was finally carried that it was the belief of the 

 association that the college should be divided, 

 and one for men and one for women be established 

 whenever practicable. 



The Maine Wesleyan Seminary and Female 

 College, at Kent's Hill, has, it appears, been di- 

 vided into two separate institutions. The semi- 

 nary continues as before for those who do not 

 take a full college course, for preparatory work, 

 and with special departments for music, art, nor- 

 mal instruction, and business courses, and is open 

 to both sexes. 



The annual report of the library commission 

 shows that 17 new traveling libraries, each of 50 

 volumes, have been added to the 42 purchased 

 last year. Of these, 56 reported, showing a re- 

 corded circulation of 8,823, and 1,780 registered 

 readers. 



In the year free public libraries were estab- 

 lished at Fairfield, Hiram, Jonesport, Sanford, 

 Norridgewock, Buckfield, and Stetson. At Fair- 

 field, a handsome library building, the gift of 

 Edward J. Lawrence, was dedicated July 24. 



Vital Statistics. The Registrar finds diffi- 

 culty in obtaining returns for his reports, and 

 that for 1899 was published only in October, 

 1901. The births that year decreased by 646, 

 compared with 1898, the marriages increased by 

 185, and the deaths increased by 414. 



The birth-rate of living children in the State 

 was 20.10 for every 1,000 inhabitants. In the 

 cities the rate was 21.03, and in the country 19.66. 



The number of marriages registered in the year 

 was 5,229. In 1898 the number was 5,144. 



The number of divorces granted was 790. In 

 the previous year there were 764. 



The deaths by accident numbered 374, and those 

 by suicide 93. 



There were 9 homicides. 



Charities and Corrections. The report of the 

 Girls' Industrial School shows that in the year 

 4 girls were admitted, 11 came of age, 5 were 

 permitted to marry, 5 were discharged, and 149 

 remained. The expenditures for the year were 

 $11,119.44, and the receipts $13,930.52. 



The Reform School for Boys had about 150 in- 

 mates at the beginning of the year. 



There were 172 convicts in the State Prison 

 Nov. 30, 1900. Thirty-eight life convicts were 

 present at the beginning of the year, 4 of whom 



