NEBRASKA. 



The Institute for the Blind, at Nebraska City, 

 had $46.550 for maintenance in 1895-'%, and asks 

 for $48,125 for 1897-'98. 



In the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, at Grand 

 Island, the number of inmates in May was 230. 

 The appropriation for 1895-'96 was $77.6:30, and the 

 balance on hand Nov. 30 was $13,580. A new 

 building for which $12,000 was appropriated was 

 accepted in January. 



The branch Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, at Mil- 

 ford, was dedicated Oct. 8, 1895. An appropriation 

 of $8,000 was made to it in 1895. The total ex- 

 pense for maintenance and fitting up the building 

 has been $18,515. The building will accommodate 

 120 persons ; so far 48 have been admitted. 



The Home for the Friendless, at Lincoln, had in 

 May 155 inmates. The appropriation for 1895-'96 

 was $30,500, and the balance Nov. 30 was $5,288. 



The State Industrial School, at Kearney, had 211 

 boys Nov. 30. In 1895 appropriations amounting 

 to $105.800 wore made, and the balance remaining 

 was $15,013. 



The Girls' Industrial School, at Geneva, had 75 

 pupils, and $35.750 for its expenses in 1895-'96, 

 of which $8,449 remained unexpended. 



The Industrial Home, at Milford. had 63 inmates, 

 and a balance of $7,123 from its appropriation of 

 $26,70!) for the biennium. 



The number of convicts at the State Penitentiary 

 was 285, of whom 5 were women. Two years ago the 

 total number of convicts was 351. The prisoners 

 are employed in cooperage, and manufacture of 

 stoves, harness, and brooms. The contractors pay 

 from 30 to 45 cents per man per day for labor, the 

 State furnishing steam power free in most cases. 



The appropriation for 1895-'96 was $138,700, and 

 the balance remaining was $31,978. The warden 

 asked for $63.875 for the coming biennium. 



Banks. The summary of the condition of in- 

 corporated, private, and s'avings banks, 438 in num- 

 ber, June 30, shows total resources $24,582,087, and 

 the general deposits $13,207,338. There are 339 

 incorporated banks, 87 private, and 12 savings 

 banks. 



Among the failures of the year were those of the 

 First National Bank of Beatrice, Sept. 1. carrying 

 with it that of the Beatrice Savings Bank, ami 

 Sept. 16 that of the Midland State Bank, at Omaha. 

 The Capital National, at Lincoln, and the Bank of 

 Ogalalla are in the hands of receivers. 



Within forty days preceding Nov. 23 26 banks 

 in the eastern and southeastern parts of the State 

 were robbed by burglars of more than $30,000 in 

 the aggregate. 



Railroads. The mileage of tracks in the State 

 amounts to 5,542, and the total valuation of rail- 

 roads, as determined by the State Board of Equali- 

 zation, is $25,425,308. 



The Farmers' Alliance of Elwood asked from the 

 Missouri Pacific Railroad Company the privilege of 

 putting up an elevator on land belonging to the 

 railroad, which was refused, and the Board of Trans- 

 portation then issued an order requiring the com- 

 pany to grant the privilege. The Nebraska Su- 

 preme Court, when appealed to, rendered a decision 

 adverse to the company, which took out a writ of 

 error to the United States Supreme Court. The 

 decision was reversed, the court holding that the 

 case involved no question of rates, and the pro- 

 ceeding was an attempt to take private property 

 for private use without due process of law and in 

 violation of the fourteenth amendment to the Con- 

 stitution. 



The St. Joe and Grand Island road was sold in 

 foreclosure proceedings, Dec. 23, for $3.000,000, and 

 was bid in by the chairman of the bondholders' 

 committee. 



Insurance. There are 260 insurance organiza- 

 tions of all kinds authorized to transact business in 

 the State. The companies made a large reduction 

 in the summer in the price of tornado insurance; 

 more of this has been written in the West this sea- 

 son than for many years. 



The Auditor says the fire insurance laws are in- 

 adequate, and many of them ambiguous. 



On Sept. 30 the nonresident joint-stock life and 

 fire insurance companies transacting business in 

 the State had $24,882,089.57 loaned on Nebraska real 

 estate, and at the same date the resident stock com- 

 panies had invested in Nebraska securities about 

 $500,000. The average interest rate is 5 - 9 per 

 cent. 



Irrigation. Statistics collected by the State 

 engineer show that there were under construction 

 in this State on April 4, 1895, when the present 

 irrigation law became effective, about 2,21!) miles 

 of canal, covering 1,061,017 acres. Of this total 

 mileage, 1,319 miles have been completed at an 

 expense of $1,456,369. 



The decision of the United States Supreme Court 

 sustaining the Wright irrigation law of California 

 virtually settles questions that have been raised in 

 regard to Nebraska laws, and establishes their con- 

 stitutionality. These laws declare all water of 

 every natural stream in Nebraska not heretofore 

 appropriated to be the property of the public. 

 State control of the water is assumed, and the 

 formation of irrigation districts is authorized. 

 These districts have power to borrow money, mort- 

 gage property, and issue bonds and levy taxes to 

 pay the cost of construction of irrigation works. 



At the State Irrigation Convention, at Lincoln, 

 Nov. 21. a delegate showed the comparative cost cf 

 perpetual water rights under the district law and 

 from private corporations to be $3.50 and $10 an 

 acre respectively. 



Prof. Barton, of the United States Geological 

 Survey, who has been conducting an investigation 

 of the underground flow of water in Nebraska, ad- 

 dressed the convention, saying that in the area cov- 

 ered, nearly 180 by 30 miles, the underground flow 

 was enormous. 



Important Decisions. One of the State courts 

 has decided that gold contracts are unlawful. The 

 city of Lincoln had negotiated a loan for $500,000, 

 and was about to issue the bonds, payable in gold. 

 An application was made for an injunction, and it 

 was granted, and subsequently made perpetual. 

 The court holds that the Constitution vests in Con- 

 gress the power to determine what shall be legal 

 tender, and Congress has conferred that function 

 on gold and silver coin, Treasury notes, and gold 

 and silver certificates. It concludes that State or 

 municipal governments can not make contracts 

 that would deprive any of these forms of currency 

 of their legal-tender quality. 



The curfew ordinance of Omaha was declared 

 unconstitutional in the district court, in December, 

 in the case of the only boy arrested under it, as 

 being in conflict with the State law prohibiting 

 inferior magistrates from incarcerating minors 

 under sixteen years of age. and requiring such 

 minors to be held to the district court for investi- 

 gation as to their being subjects for the reform 

 school. 



Public Lands. Settlers on lands of the Bur- 

 lington and Missouri Railroad have been in trouble 

 about their titles, the Government having brought 

 suit against the company and the settlers for the 

 recovery of lands said to have been erroneously 

 patented to the company on account of its grant. 

 The railroad made agreement with the Secretary of 

 the Interior that proceedings against the settlers, 

 who are protected by the laws, should be dismissed, 



