MAKYLAXD. 



453 



levy, $95n.3 1:>.5::. ot which amount $844.020.35 waa 



collected, 3 - tlian the collections 



ilurii [ 1'he total balance, exclusive of inter- 



lue from collectors t' State taxes Sept 30, 1896, 



672,179.91. 



The amount received from the tax on the gross 

 receipts of railroads and other corporations was 

 3,291.81, being $13.49(5.90 less than was received 

 in list)."). From the tax on the capital stock of in- 

 corporated institutions the receipts wt re 8 S 2.< (78.50, 

 tin increase of $4.583 20. From licenses and from 

 tax on premiums paid by insurance companies 

 $130,865.11 was collected, an increase of $6.404.0::. 

 From traders' licenses 194.014.42 was collected, 

 and from high liquor license in Baltimore city 

 s533,575.39. Registers of wills paid in $189,767.70. 



The levy for public schools, at lOi cents on $100, 

 amounted' to $567.484.79 : the receipts of public- 

 school tax from all sources during 1890 were $573.- 

 TO.DI ; the balance from 1895 was 272.368.41 ; the 

 total disbursements during the fiscal year 1896 

 were $591.700, leaving a balance of public-school 

 money applicable to the school year beginning Oct. 

 1. 1896. of s254.3S4.32. The Legislature of 1896 

 appropriated $150,000 for the purchase of free 

 text-books for schools, and authorized a levy of 2 

 cents on $100 for that purpose, which levy aggre- 

 gated $108.092.34. Only $03.029.78 was collected, 

 and the deficiency paid i'rorn the treasury proper. 



The reassessment of the property of" the State 

 under the new law was not completed during 1890. 

 the periods at which the work was to be finished 

 having repeatedly been advanced at the request of 

 the assessors. 



Education. At the beginning of each quarter 

 of the year the public-school tax was distributed. 

 $100,000 to white schools and $24.500 to colored. 

 In July the distribution of the $49,055.36 of the 

 free-school fund was made. The average daily 

 attendance of children in the public schools during 

 1-HO was 49.79d. 



The Legislature of 1896 made provision for free 

 text-books in schools throughout the State by an 

 appropriation of $150.000 each year, the apportion- 

 ment to be made "as the State school tax is now 

 apportioned." Under this apportionment. $118,- 

 013.57 was given to the use of the white schools 

 and $31.986.16 to the use of the colored schools. 

 Much discontent was created, it being claimed that 

 the distribution should be on the basis of the actual 

 attendance upon schools, instead of on the persons 

 of school age. as other funds are distributed. 



The attendance during the year at the Maryland 

 School for the Deaf and Dumb averaged 100. 



The Legislature appropriated $3.000 a year for 

 two years for the establishment of Farmers' Insti- 

 tutes as a department of the agricultural college, 

 with the provision that at least one such institute 

 shall be held in each year in each county. The 

 first of these institutes was held in December at 

 Upper Marlboro. 



State Institutions. In the Spring Grove Hos- 

 pital for the Insane, at the end of the year, there 

 were 187 patients, and 23 patients had been sent 

 thence to the new hospital at Sykesville. known as 

 Insane Hospital No. 2. The Spring Grove Hospital 

 received an increase of $29.000 to meet a deficiency 

 in its running expenses, and $35,000 for the main- 

 tenance of the new hospital. 



To institutions that have not before received ap- 

 propriations the Legislature this year gave as fol- 

 lows : Hollywood Children's Summer Home. $500; 

 Home for Mothers and Infants. s5(iO : Northeastern 

 Day Nursery. $1.000: Baltimore School of Medi- 

 cine. $1.000: Aged Men's and Women's Homes. 

 $15.000 : St. Elizabeth's Home for Colored Chil- 

 dren. $500. 



To provide for constructing and equipping an 



teiiMon of the Penitentiary, an i>siie of sooO.OOO 



cxteii 



of State bonds, bearing inten-t at 3-05 per cent., 

 was authorized by the Legislature of 1890. The 

 present Penitentiary is inadequate to the demands 

 upon it. The number of prisoners has greatly in- 

 creased during the past few years, the average num- 

 ber in 1892 being 274. in 1M)5 32*. and in February, 

 1896, 450. while there are proper accommodations 

 for only 232. The annual appropriation of $20,000 

 was this year increased $5.000, and an appropriation 

 of $50,000 was made for the new building. 



Immigration. An appropriation of $5,000 a 

 year for the expenses of a Bureau of Immigration 

 was made by the Legislature of 1896, which also 

 provided for the appointment of 3 commissioners, 

 one of them to.be superintendent of the bureau, at 

 a salary of $2,000 a year. Once a year he must go 

 to Europe and remain there at least four months, 

 in the interest of intending citizens. The term of 

 office of the commissioners began May 1, and con- 

 tinues two years. 



New Offices. To provide for the extermination 

 of the San !.'. an appropriation of $3,000 



was made this year, and a State entomologist was 

 appointed. 



The office of State Geologist was created by the 

 Legislature this year, which authorized a geological 

 survey of the State. There are to be no salaried 

 officers, but a moderate per diem allowance will be 

 made for work actually performed in the service 

 of the survey. Dr. William B. Clark. Professor of 

 Geology at Johns Hopkins University, was ap- 

 pointed State Geologist. 



The Maryland Game and Fish Protective Asso- 

 ciation was instrumental in securing the passage at 

 the last legislative session of a stringent fish and 

 game law, and the appointment of a game warden 

 for the State. 



Fish Hatchery. The report of the Fish Com- 

 missioner shows that in 1895 4.085.000 young shad 

 were hatched at the Salisbury station, 2,335,000 of 

 which were distributed in Wicomico river; at the 

 Sharptown station 6,075,000 were hatched. 1.600,000 

 of which were distributed in Nanticoke river. In 

 April of this year more than 800,000 young perch 

 were placed in Tom's creek, Frederick County. 



Key Monument. The Legislature appropriated 

 $5,000 to be applied to the fund for erecting a 

 monument at Fiederick to Francis Scott Key. 



Militia. The militia force in the State is 1 

 general, 24 members of the general staff. 40 mem- 

 bers of the regimental field staff. 70 company offi- 

 cers. 354 noncommissioned officers, 51 musicians. 

 1,156 privates an aggregate of 1.671 men. The 

 number of men available for military duty, unor- 

 ganized. was estimated at 200.000. 



War Records. Under an act of 1896 the Gov- 

 ernor, in May. appointed a military commission, to 

 serve without pay. to superintend the compilation 

 and publication of the records of the soldiers, sail- 

 ors, and marines accredited to Maryland during 

 the civil war. An appropriation of $15.000 was 

 made to pay for such publication. The commission 

 has issued a circular asking for the co-operation of 

 old soldiers. 



Fortifications. Acting upon information that 

 it is the purpose of the United States Government 

 to begin the work of erecting extensive fortifica- 

 tions for the protection of the city of Baltimore so 

 soon as authority be obtained from the State for 

 the acquisition of sufficient land for the purpose, 

 and upon the request of the Secretary of War. the 

 Legislature passed an act consenting to the pur- 

 chase or condemnation by the United States for 

 fortification purposes of 29 acres at North Point, 

 100 at Rock Point, and 13 at llawkin's Point. 



