612 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



poor, and county auditors, as well as township and 

 other officers. 



JKesolved, That we recommend the passage of an 

 act of Assembly providing for a constitutional con- 

 vention, to be composed of members elected on the 

 principlOj and to such convention, in making the many 

 constitutional reforms so loudly demanded for years, 

 we respectfully recommend that the principles of mi- 

 nority representation be embodied in a new constitu- 

 tion of Pennsylvania. 



Colored voters have been duly registered 

 and enrolled in all the counties of the State, 

 according to the provision of the national Con- 

 stitution. 



At the end of the year the State Treasury 

 was in a satisfactory condition. All demands 

 upon it for expenses had heen paid, and tha 

 public debt materially reduced, while so much 

 confidence had been inspired in the securities 

 of the Commonwealth as to cause them to 

 command the highest premiums in the market. 

 The receipts into the Treasury during the year 

 ending November 30th were $7,737,465.73. 

 The disbursements, including expenses, loans, 

 etc., redeemed, with interest on loans, was $6,- 

 434,522.91 ; and the balance on hand at the 

 close of the fiscal year was $1,302,942.82. The 

 public debt was also reduced from $32,814,- 

 540.95 to $31,111,661.90. Of this decreased 

 amount, $1,602,321.31 was redeemed by the 

 Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, and 

 $100,537.74 by the Treasurer. Of the re- 

 maining public debt, all but $113,961.57 of un- 

 funded debt is funded over-due loans, amount- 

 ing to $30,997,700.33. The loans fall due in 

 the following succession funded debt viz. : 



Amount of over-due loans $707,050 &3 



payable, 1871, interest 6 per cent 2,769,250 00 



1872, 

 1872, 

 1877, 

 1877, 

 1878, 

 1879, 

 18S2, 

 1882, 

 1882, 



4,731,300 00 

 92,850 00 



7,390,550 00 



3,577,700 00 

 305,000 00 

 400,000 00 



1,138,950 00 

 112,000 00 



9,273,050 00 



Total $30,997,700 33 



While the unfunded debt consists of 



Relief notes in circulation $96,382 00 



Interest certificates outstanding 13,086 52 



Interest certificates unclaimed 4,448 38 



Domestic creditors 1 certificates 44 67 



Total $113,%! 57 



As nearly eight millions of the public debt 

 will be due prior to July 1, 1872, Governor 

 Geary recommended that the Legislature 

 should authorize the Commissioners of the 

 Sinking Fund to sell all the assets in their 

 possession, and apply the proceeds to the dis- 

 charge of this indebtedness; or, at the option 

 of the holders, to exchange them for the out- 

 standing bonds of the Commonwealth. 



The city of Philadelphia owes a larger debt 

 by some millions than the State ; as its total 

 indebtedness on January 1, 1879, was $42,- 

 401,934. 



Under the laws of the State, it is made the 

 duty of commissioners of the respective counties 

 to make returns to the government, of the 



septennial enumeration of taxables, on or be- 

 fore the last Tuesday in December. Not one- 

 fourth of these returns had been received at 

 the end of the year. 



Pennsylvania has at present 5,384 miles of 

 railroads on the surface of the earth, and 500 

 miles underground, in mines. 



The important question of the assumption 

 of the control of the telegraph-lines, and the 

 chartering of railroad companies within the 

 State by the General Government, was par- 

 tially considered by the Legislature during its 

 session, but no conclusive action has yet been 

 taken. An act was passed and approved en- 

 titled "A supplement to the Milford and Mat- 

 amoras Eailroad Company," one section of 

 which seems to have been intended to take 

 from the State and give to the company the 

 $10,000 bonus paid into the Treasury annually 

 by the New York and Erie Eailroad under the 

 act of March 28, 1846. The Governor, in order 

 to guard against loss, caused the Attorney- 

 General to give notice to the New York and 

 Erie Eailroad that this payment would be ex- 

 pected by the Treasury as heretofore; and, 

 regarding this passage of the act as the result 

 of hasty legislation, advised its repeal. 



Large deposits of iron-ore have been discov- 

 ered in what is known as Black Valley, and in 

 January, 1870, it was proposed to extend the 

 Huntingdon and Broad Top Eailroad from 

 Mount Dallas, its present terminus, along the 

 whole distance of this valley, as heavy cap- 

 italists have made extensive investments in 

 ore and coal-lands in the vicinity. 



An act was also passed to facilitate and se- 

 cure the construction of an additional railway 

 connection between the waters of the Susque- 

 hanna and the great lakes, Canada and the 

 Northwestern States, by extending the aid and 

 credit of certain corporations to the Jersey 

 Shore, Pine Creek, and Buffalo Eailway, and 

 other companies. This act was vetoed by the 

 Governor. 



A bill was also passed authorizing railroad 

 companies to lease or become lessees, and to 

 make contracts with other railroad companies, 

 corporations, and parties, providing, however, 

 that the roads embraced in any such arrange- 

 ments shall connect directly or by intervening 

 lines with the roads of such companies in the 

 State which enter into such lease, assignment, 

 contract, and guarantee, and thus form continu- 

 ous routes for the transportation of persons 

 and property. The Pittsburg and Connells- 

 ville Eailroad is entirely exempt from this 

 provision. 



Philadelphia has at last awakened to the 

 consciousness of her dependence on New York 

 for commercial facilities, and raised the 

 amount of funds required to aid the Pennsyl- 

 vania Central Eailroad in establishing a steam- 

 ship line between her port and Europe. It 

 has been stated that not only the necessary 

 $300,000 has been subscribed, but several hun- 

 dred thousands extra; and it was proposed to 



