MINNESOTA. 



489 



049.704 in 1804 to S16.232.839 in 1SD6. The pupils 

 enrolled have increased from 341.47* to 350,189, and 

 tlu> gain in average attendance was from 121.49H to 

 135.702. Tin 1 scliool enrollment has increased fast- 

 er than the population, and the average attendance 

 nearly twice as fast. 



The Stale University has about 2.000 students. 

 In 18'.).') it conferred degrees upon 285, and in 1896 

 upon :;:!?. 



The first State Convention of Boards of Education 

 was held in Northfield in April. 



Charities. The population of the Soldiers' 

 Home increased from 76 in 1888 to 418 in 1896. 

 The net cost, of maintenance in 1896 was $31,133.41. 

 From the " Soldiers' Relief fund " about $41,000 was 

 distributed to veterans living with their families, 

 over 700 families having been aided. 



The School for the Feeble-minded is crowded to 

 its utmost capacity, and there are 180 applicants 

 who can not be admitted. 



The three hospitals for the insane also are 

 crowded: a fourth one is to be established at Anoka. 



Banks. The report to the Comptroller of the 

 condition of Minneapolis banks, Dec. 17, showed an 

 "increase in the loans and discounts, and a -slight 

 decrease in the individual deposits over the state- 

 ment made by the same banks Oct. 6. There is a 

 slight decline in the volume of gold coin held, the 

 December statement showing 889.432 in gold, 

 whereas in October the banks held $943,192 in gold. 

 The volume of legal-tender notes declined during 

 the same period from $679.124 to 488.634. The 

 loans and discounts in December were $11.217.563, 

 against $10,788.168 in October, and individual de- 

 posits decreased only .$9,000." 



The reports of the five national banks of St. Paul 

 were made at the same time, showing that the banks 

 had '' strengthened their reserves materially since 

 Oct. 6. During the period from December, 1895, to 

 October, 1896, the banks slightly relinquished their 



fold holdings, and their stocks of gold fell from 

 2.198.188 to sl.SI47.S79. but according to the pres- 

 ent statement their gold holdings have increased to 

 $2.152.000. No increases were- made in the volume 

 of national bank notes issued by the banks during 

 the period, the amount remaining at 225.sr;u." 



The Bank of Minnesota, a State bank in St. Paul, 

 was closed Dec. 22. This failure was followed by 

 that of three other St. Paul banks none of them 

 national and by three in Minneapolis. The Marine 

 National Bank of Duluth suspended in October. 



Railroads. The report of the Auditor gives fig- 

 ures in reference to grants of land in the State to 

 railroad companies by Congress and by the State. 

 They amount to more than 20.000,000 acres. A 

 reasonable valuation of these railroad lands is $103.- 

 000.000, or about $32.000 a mile. The companies 

 have already received over 10,000,000 acres, and un- 

 der the swamp land act from the State thev have 

 received over 3.000,000 additional. 



He calls particular attention to the grant origi- 

 nally made to the Little Falls Railway and now 

 owned by the Northern Pacific. It consists of 300,- 

 000 acres and was given to aid in the construction 

 of that railroad from its eastern terminus to the 

 western boundary of the State. For uncompleted 

 portions of the line the land should revert to the 

 State. 



Five lines added during the year a total of 58 

 miles to their roads. 



The State is opposing the proposed scheme of co- 

 operation between the Great Northern and the 

 Northern Pacific roads. 



Public Lauds. One of the most important ques- 

 tions affecting the interests of the State of Minne- 

 sota is that of the ownership of the swamp lands in 

 the Indian reservations. Under the act of Congress 



of March 12. I860, the State received the grant of 

 all the swamp lands within its borders not dis 

 of by the United States prior to the date of the 

 grant. The Government surveys show thai in tln-M- 

 -.at ions in Minnesota there are 975.N69 acres of 

 swamp lands. 



The commissioners of the general land office de- 

 cided in March that the State had no right to the-e 

 lands, since they were not a portion of the public 

 domain at the time of the survey <1N?4) which was 

 needed to determine their character and to confirm 

 the title of the State. 



Of 4.077.597 acres of swamp lands selected for 

 the State only 3.402.089 have been approved to the 

 State by the Interior Department. A large propor- 

 tion of these lands have been granted to 9 railroad 

 companies and 3.062.141 acres have been absorbed 

 in 12 legislative grants, including 525,000 acres for 

 State institutions. 



The land where the rich mountain iron mine is 

 was selected in 1883 by the State Auditor for in- 

 demnity school land. In 1888 the same official (ap- 

 parently through an error or oversight) executed a 

 relinquishment to the Government. This land is 

 valued at not less than $12.000,000. The Auditor 

 takes the ground that possibly the State still holds 

 title to these lands under the original selection, and 

 that the relinquishment was null and void. 



The agricultural lands of the Red lake reserva- 

 tion, about 900.000 acres, were thrown open to set- 

 tlers May 15. The pine lands-, of about the same 

 extent, were offered for sale later. Several thou- 

 sand men were ready to make the race across the 

 boundary line at the earliest possible moment. 

 Generally, order was observed, but there was some 

 fighting. 



Growth of Cities. The growth of the cities 

 now having over 5,000 is shown by the following 

 comparison : 



Forests. The chief fire warden, from investiga- 

 tions into the extent of the forests and the varieties 

 of wood and timber in them, estimates that the 

 total amount of white pine is 14.424.000.000 feet, 

 and of red or Norway pine 3.412.475.000 feet. In 

 23 counties there are 10.889.000 acres of natural 

 forest, and in the whole State there are 11,890,000 

 acres of natural forest, not including mere brush and 

 swamp land. The annual cut of pine for each of 

 the past three years is estimated at 1.500.000.000 

 feet. The consumption of merchantable hardwood 

 lumber in Minnesota is estimated at 100.000.000 

 feet annually. In 1895 (a wet season) only 8.265 

 acres were burned over in the forest region, against 

 600.000 in the dry year of 1894. 



Mob Violence. -In Minneapolis. March 21, a riot 

 grew out of trouble between strikers and nonunion 

 men employed in an iron foundry. The nonunion 

 men were going home under police guard, trouble 

 having occurred before when they were attacked by 

 a mob. It is estimated that 3.000 persons were in 

 the neighborhood, many of them taking part in the 

 fight. The nonunion men opened fire after they 

 had been pelted with bricks and stones, and the fire 



