MAINE. 



445 



property has more generally been returned at nearly 

 its former value, personal-property valuations have 

 v fallen off. Wo have a total State valuation 

 of $828,500,949, againd s324.47s.321 in 1894" 

 The amount of State- t.. was 



_ tinst iSS13.07-2.3q for 1895. The 

 far' 1 -.-- :it on any comity is on Cumberland. 



which paid f 55,634.*87, of which | 



I * 92 was on Portland: Bangor paid $31.52<>.Vi : 

 Low - >72.68; Augusta. $17.368.63; Bath, 



$15.590.<>7: and Auburn. $15.55<i.::i. 



The balance in the treasury at the beginning of 

 1 *'.!.-) was $45s.i '.(.->. v-> : at the end of 1896 it was. in 

 round numbers. $200,000. The expenditures dur- 

 ing the two years exceeded the receipts by more 

 than |250,000. 



The bonded debt has been paid for several years 

 at the rate of about $50.000 a year, and is now, in 

 round numbers. $2.303,000. 



Education. The number of persons between the 

 ages of four and twenty-one in the State is 200.7: v : 

 increase. 1.756. Average registered attendance pel- 

 term for the year. 114.584: decrease. 218. 



There were 6.786 teachers employed in 1896 ; 

 6 636 in 1895. The average monthly wages of male 

 teachers for 1895 is $35. lit and $34.39 for 1896; for 

 female teachers in 1895. $20.04 ; 1896, $22.44. 



There are 4.391 schools for 1896, 5 more than for 

 1895. There are 46 fewer schoolhouses in the State, 

 with present number 4.196. The estimated value 

 of school property it " >6 fur 1*96, against 



"7. 715 for 1*95. The total expenditures were 

 $1.638.598 for lsi. 



The attendance at the 3 normal schools was 397 

 for 1895. and 474 for 1896. 



The State College registered for the full term 102 

 regular students. 16 in the two-year pharmacy course, 

 and 8 specials, making a total of 126 in the enter- 

 ing class. The attendance at the college has dou- 

 bled in the past three years, being now about 300. 

 The college has an endowment of $231,000. 



The school fund apportioned in 1896 was $509,- 

 933. In 1895 it wa< 



The State Librarian reported that a larger amount 

 than before was appropriated in 1896 for the sup- 

 port of free libraries. 4 cities having been added to 

 the list. The State adds 10 per cent, to the amount 

 appropriated by the town or city. The 20 commu- 

 nities in the list gave for the purpose in all $14.218. 

 Military. The <trength of the National Guard 

 was reported in April as follows: Officers of the 

 staff of the commander in chief. 11 : First Regiment, 

 43 officers. 564 enlisted men : Second Regiment. 44 

 officers. 565 enlisted men : Ambulance Corps, 1 offi- 

 cer. 4 noncommissioned officers. 17 privates: 

 nal Corps. 1 officer. 3 non-commissioned officers. 15 

 privates: total. 100 officers. 1.168 enlisted men. 

 The Signal Corps has been provided with 2 sets of 

 telegraph and telephone instruments. 500 yards of 

 cable, a heliograph, a compass, and signal flags. 



The Maine Belief Corps Home, at Newport, which 

 now has about 7 residents, is to be provided with a 

 new building with accommodations for about 60, 

 that number of applications being now on file. 



State Institutions. The report for 1895 of the 

 Bath Military and Naval Orphan Association, ren- 

 dered in February, states that the whole number of 

 children that have been inmates of the home dur- 

 ing the year is 61. There are at present 39. The 

 average age is ten years and a half. The home has 

 accommodations for 75. Grandchildren of veterans 

 are admitted, and the children of soldiers and sail- 

 ors that have served in the quota of other States, 

 but now reside in Maine. 



The corner stone of the insane hospital for the 

 eastern part of the State, at Bangor. was laid July 

 15, and the buildings were inclosed at the beginning 



of winter. The total length of the buildings is 235 

 ;id the total width 110 feet. The hospital at 

 Augusta is overcrowded. 



The State Industrial School for Girls, at Hallo- 

 well, received 24 new inmates during the year, mak- 

 ing a total of 463 since the opening in 1875. The 

 average number in 1<*90 was 76. The number now 

 in homes is 27: married before reaching majority, 

 92: reached majority while unmarried, 130; re- 

 turned to friends. 56: dismissed as incorrigible, 7; 

 deceased. 23: escaped and not recovered. 5. 



In May there were 173 convicts in the State 

 Prison, of whom 5 were women and 19 in the insane 

 department. 



At the Reform School for Boys 34 were received 

 during the year. The whole number committed 

 since the establishment of the institution is 2.181. 



Banks. The bank examiner reports that the 

 banks have been unexpectedly prosperous amid the 

 trying circumstances of the past two years. The 

 increase in the assets of the State's banking institu- 

 tions during the past official year is nearly $2.000,- 

 000. The number of depositors in the savings 

 banks increased almost 3,000, while the deposits in- 

 creased over $1.000.000. the average for each depos- 

 itor rising from $85.22 in 1*95. to $86.94 in 1896. 



There are 52 savings banks, 34 loan and building 

 associations, and 18 trust companies. The Ameri- 

 can Banking and Trust Company, at Auburn, closed 

 its doors Dec. 23. It holds mortgages on farm and 

 city property in Nebraska. Minnesota, and South 

 Dakota, and the lateness of the wheat crop, together 

 with the holding by the farmers of their wheat for 

 higher prices, caused the stringency of money. 



Insurance. The returns from all the fire and 

 marine insurance companies (except domestic mu- 

 tual companies) transacting business in Maine dur- 

 ing 1895 show that the premiums received amount- 

 ed" to $1.576.4*9. the largest amount ever collected 

 in this State in a single year, while the losses paid 

 were the smallest since 1891 ($795.533). 



Returns from all life insurance companies doing 

 business in the State, except one, show that, exclud- 

 ing the industrial business, there was an increase 

 over 1894 of $186.264 in the amount of insurance 

 written, and an increase of $95.264 in the premium 

 receipts of the companies. There was also an in- 

 crease of $2.845.129 in the insurance in force. 



The returns of the stock casualty and surety com- 

 panies doing business in Maine for 1895 show that 

 they wrote business to the amount of $21.755.393, 

 the premiums on which amounted to $110.208. This 

 shows an increase of $13.877 in the receipts for 

 1895 over those of 1894. 



Railroads. The mileage of steam railroads was 

 increased in 1*96 by 91'78 miles, of which 43'35 was 

 on the Bangor and Aroostook, and 30-88 on the 

 Rumford Falls and Rangeley Lakes. The total 

 mileage is 1.718-53. 



The returns to June 30. 1896. show an increase in 

 earnings in Maine over those of 1895 being $8,111,- 

 507.26, against $7.611.127.22. 



The large increase of passengers on steam rail- 

 roads shown by the Boston and Maine Railroad is 

 largely due to the fact that 423-57 miles was added 

 to the" mileage of that road by the lease of the Con- 

 cord and Montreal system. 



For the year ending June 30. 1896. there were 

 carried on "the street railways 12.302,326 persons, 

 one being injured to 1.118.393 carried. 



The tax on railroads, including horse and electric 

 roads, for 1895 was $144.962.91. and for 1896 $152.- 

 :,'. Of the latter $67.066.22 was on the Maine 

 Central, and $65.<i!i:5.96 on the Boston and Maine. 



The law requires that all railroad companies 

 shall pay of 1 per cent, if they have average gro?- 

 receipts of $1,500 a mile. For every $750 addi- 



