446 



MAINE. 



tional Jof 1 per cent, is added, with the limitation 

 that no road shall pay over 3J per cent, on its gross 

 receipts. An additional limitation is made on roads 

 used only for carrying freight, If per cent, being 

 the highest required. Street railroads having aver- 

 age gross receipts per mile of $1,000 and under pay 

 fa of 1 per cent., and for every $1,000 additional 

 the same tax is added. 



Cattle Report. The Cattle Commissioners held 

 228 inspections of horses and cattle during the year, 

 a number largely in excess of any previous year. 

 The number condemned is approximately the same. 



The quarantine against Massachusetts was sup- 

 plemented on Nov. 12, 1895, by another much more 

 sweeping in its provisions, which had become abso- 

 lutely necessary to prevent droves and car loads of 

 cattle coming into Maine from other ini'ected 

 States. 



Fish and Game. The Commissioner of Sea and 

 Shore Fisheries says : " There are licensed in the 

 customs district of the State 512 fishing vessels, 

 measuring 10,122 tons, being 75 more under fish- 

 ing licenses than at last report. There are 14,090 

 persons connected with the fisheries." 



The total valuation of the fishing industries is 

 $4,326,692.60, of which the largest item is the sar- 

 dine industry, $1,928,546.50 ; the lobster comes 

 next, with $790.276.70, and the fresh-fish industry 

 third, with valuation of $504,294. The first her- 

 metically sealed sardines canned in the country 

 were put up at East-port in 1875. The cod and 

 mackerel industries have declined, and the men- 

 haden industry was poor during 1896, few of the 

 fish, for some unknown reason, having come north 

 of Cape Cod. 



The Commissioners of Inland Fisheries and 

 Game say more moose were killed in 1896 than for 

 a long period. The number of hunters has great- 

 ly increased. They hunt not only in the season, 

 but in August and September, hiding the game un- 

 til October, when they bring out the head only, 

 leaving the body to rot. The report says: "The 

 rich poacher cares nothing for a fine so long as he 

 can secure a head. Our forests are so vast that no 

 system of wardenship could be arranged to stop 

 summer killing. The law should step in and do it. 

 There is no question that at least 10,000 deer have 

 been killed in Maine during 1896. Deer are now 

 found in every county, and there seems to be no 



freat decrease, notwithstanding the great numbers 

 illed. From the best information obtainable, the 

 caribou are fast disappearing, and very soon prac- 

 tically will be extinct, unless more stringent laws 

 are enacted for their protection." 



A peculiar question has arisen in reference to 

 fishing in a stream that runs from East Winthrop 

 pond to Lake Cobbosseecontee. The law says that 

 no salmon or trout shall be taken from any tribu- 

 tary to any ponds or lakes in that section. But the 

 stream is very slow, especially since the dam of the 

 lake was raised, and fishermen contend that it is 

 not a tributary, but a part of the lake itself, or a 

 connecting channel. 



Labor Interests. The ninth annual report of 

 the Labor Commissioner, issued in March, gives 

 the following statistics: 



" The number of manufacturing establishments 

 during the year has been largely increased over 

 that of the previous year, the amount of capital in- 

 vested being more than doubled. 



"From investigations made among men in eight- 

 een lines of industry, the whole number of reports 

 received amounted to 556; number American born, 

 433; number foreign born, 123; number owning 

 homes, 188; value of homes, $253,725; number 

 homes mortgaged, 43 ; amount of mortgages, $17,- 

 800 ; number renting, 327 ; number having savings- 



bank accounts, 228 ; number who have accumulated 

 savings in former years, 436 ; during past year, 63 ; 

 run in debt during past year, 63 ; neither gained 

 nor lost during past year, 161. 



The daily average of total expenditure per indi- 

 vidual in families was found to be 31 cents; the 

 daily average for rent, food, fuel, and lights for 

 same, 21 cents, while the daily average for board, 

 which covers the above-mentioned items, of men 

 without families, is 46 cents. 



"According to similar figures obtained in 1891,, 

 these same items cost at that time, respectively, 83 

 cents, 23 cents, and 49 cents. 



The report of the Factory Inspector of the same 

 date says : " The State has over 5,000 manufactur- 

 ing establishments, giving employment to more 

 than 75,000 workmen and paying out nearly $27,- 

 000,000 in wages, using over "$51,000,000 worth of 

 raw material and producing over $95,000,000 in 

 manufactured articles. During the year 23 facto- 

 ries and workshops were visited. The total number 

 of children under sixteen years of age found em- 

 ployed were 1 ,190, of whom 643 were over fifteen and 

 547 under fifteen years old. By far the larger part, 

 970, were at work in the cotton mills, while 154 

 were in the woolen mills, and 43 in the shoe shops. 



There was a strike of weavers at Saco in Febru- 

 ary, and one of lasters at Auburn in March. 



South Portland. A town meeting was held 

 Feb. 20 in South Portland, which by a vote of 157 

 to 51 rejected a charter granted by the Legislature 

 incorporating the town as a city. 



Pehobscot Indians. The appropriations for 

 these Indians in 1896 were $8.019.70 and the re- 

 ceipts $8,418.30; expenditures, $8,418.30. The 

 leases of a few of the island shores expire Jan. 1, 

 and are to be sold by auction in April. The tribe 

 numbers 392, an increase of two over last year. The 

 Legislature of 1895, upon petitions of the tribe, 

 passed a law regulating the adoption of members. 

 The attendance at school during the year has been 

 remarkably good, 52 being registered, with an aver- 

 age attendance of 48. The tribe forms an indus- 

 trial community and is very largely self-supporting. 



Political. The Republican Convention for 

 nominating presidential electors and delegates to 

 the national convention met at Portland, April 16. 

 The convention was unanimous and enthusiastic in 

 favor of Thomas B. Reed as candidate for the presi- 

 dency. The platform was exclusively devoted to 

 decla'ring his attitude toward public questions. The 

 resolution on the currency reads : 



" He is opposed to the free and unlimited coinage 

 of silver, except by international agreement, and, 

 until such agreement can be obtained, he believes 

 the present gold standard should be maintained. 

 He has always been uncompromisingly for the 

 maintenance of the highest national credit by the 

 utmost good faith toward the public creditor, not 

 for the creditor's sake, but for the nation's sake, for 

 the sound reason that the most valuable possession 

 of any nation in time of war or distress, next to the 

 courage of its people, is an honorable reputation. 

 Whoever pays with honor, borrows with ease. Sound 

 finance and certainty at the treasury and protec- 

 tion for the producers will mean prosperity and 

 peace." 



The Republicans met again at Bangor. June 2, 

 for nominating a candidate for Governor. Hon. 

 Llewellyn Powers was chosen. 



The resolutions advocated the restoration of the 

 policy of protection taught by Lincoln, illustrated 

 by the signal prosperity of the country for thirty 

 years and rounded out by the reciprocity policy of 

 Blaine, a policy adapted to the business of the coun- 

 try and adjusted from time to time to change in the 

 conditions. 



