808 



VERMONT. 



ings were $1,588,790.71, and the surplus was $16,- 

 261.69. 



S. L. Little, an expert appointed to examine the 

 accounts of the road, reported in October. He finds 

 an average annual loss of about $250,000, and places 

 the operating expenses at about 70 per cent, of gross 

 earnings, with everything charged to expenses. He 

 admits that it is customary for many roads to 

 charge improvements, etc., to accounts other than. 

 operating expenses, but claims it is not proper rail- 

 road bookkeeping. He finds the floating debt and 

 fixed charges just as represented by the company, 

 floating debt amounting to about $2',500,000, which 

 is largely held by the Grand Trunk Railway. He 

 shows that the misfortunes of the road were 

 largely due to the leases of the Rutland and the 

 Ogdensburg roads, which have been given up. 



Insurance. The loss by fire in Vermont during 

 1895 aggregated $918,000, and during 1894 $932,- 

 000. The sixty-ninth annual report of the Vermont 

 Mutual Fire Insurance Company, for the year end- 

 ing Aug. 1, shows a very successful year's business. 

 It has been necessary to levy an assessment of 4A- 

 per cent, .only, which provides for all indebtedness 

 of the company and leaves a balance in the treasury 

 of $46,285.08. The members of the company now 

 number about 40,000. 



Industries. In May Hon. Victor I. Spear, Sec- 

 retary of the Board of Agriculture, published his 

 annual report of farm sales, new industries, and 

 summer travel in Vermont for 1895. He finds, 

 from the reports received, that 1.677 farms wen- 

 sold during the year, of which 133 were previously 

 unoccupied. To the question as to the value of 

 farms as compared with other years. 129 town clerks 

 report no change ; 23 that it is higher, and 29 that 

 it is lower, in their respective towns. The advance 

 is in the towns favorably situated, usually near 

 some large manufacturing interest, the decrease 

 in towns remote from such interests or from Ilie 

 railways. An improvement in the methods of farm- 

 ing has been noticeable. The work of putting in 

 creameries has gone forward. During the year 

 $1,091.500 was invested in new manufacturing en- 

 terprises in the State, and these enterprises are 

 furnishing employment to 1,010 persons. During 

 the five years covered by the reports over $4,000,- 

 000 has been invested in the various industries of 

 the State, giving employment to over 6,000 persons. 

 The secretary says : " No single industry has called 

 for the investment of so much capital as the devel- 

 opment of electric light and power. Of the many 

 large unused water powers in the State reported in 

 1891, there are but few that have not been utilized, 

 and the most common use made of them is the pro- 

 duction of electricity." 



The statistics of the summer-boarder industry are 

 very incomplete. Estimating from the returns re- 

 ceived, the secretary judges that the amount of 

 business was about $500,000 for the season of 1895. 



Monument to the First Governor. A fine 

 granite monument to the memory of Thomas Chit- 

 tcnden, one of the founders of Vermont and Gov- 

 ernor of the State for nearly a decade, was dedi- 

 cated at Williston, Aug. 19, in the presence of a 

 large gathering. The exercises consisted of a 

 parade participated in by State and national troops 

 and Knights Templars, an historical address by ex- 

 Gov. John W. Stewart, and short addresses by Gov. 

 Woodbury and the Hon. Lucius E. Chittenden. a 

 descendant of the first Governor. 



Boatable Waters. The legal definition of this 

 term was fixed by a decision rendered in Novem- 

 ber. Waters that are not boatable may be held for 

 private preserves; and the question came before 

 the court in a case relating to Marlboro South 

 pond, near Newfane. Hundreds of acres of wild 



land completely surrounding this pond were bought 

 by the New England Trout and Salmon Club. They 

 fenced it and posted notices forbidding trespass- 

 ing. Over a year ago several old citizens of the 

 locality determined to test the question of rights 

 and fished upon the pond as in former years. The 

 result was that suits were brought, and one was 

 tried as a test case. A judgment for the defendant 

 was given in 1895 under an agreed statement of 

 fact, in order to bring it to the Supreme Court for 

 definition of the word "boatable "in the statutes 

 that describe public waters. The case came back 

 to the county under certain rulings of the higher 

 court, and seven days were consumed in its trial, 

 resulting again in a verdict for the defendant. The 

 court held that " boatable waters '' were those capa- 

 ble of transportation or commerce, adding signifi- 

 cantly that the easement extends to purposes of 

 pleasure as well as business, the same as a highway, 

 it being for the jury to say if these were such m 

 fact. The jury did so find, and that in passing 

 over the plaintiff's land to reach such waters the 

 defendant passed over a public right of way,although 

 it was owned by the plaintiff. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature was in 

 session from Oct. 7 to Nov. 25. William A. Lord 

 was Speaker of the House, and John E. Weeks was 

 President /'/'/ tcni/iore of the Senate. 



Justin S. Morrill was elected to succeed himself 

 in the United States Senate by unanimous vote of 

 the upper house and 213 votes in the lower, against 

 IT for Herbert F. Brigham. The justices of the, 

 Supreme Court, the Adjutant General, and the 

 Superintendent of Education were all re-elected. 



A measure granting municipal suffrage to wom- 

 en with property qualification was pa^rvd by the 

 Senate, but was lost in the House. Among the 

 laws enacted was one providing for a 5-per-cent. 

 tax on collateral inheritances, and one making 

 changes in the dower law. The wife has the same 

 rights in the estate of a deceased husband that a 

 husband has in that of a deceased wife. 



Several amendments to the election laws were 

 passed, the most important of which allows a voter 

 to cast' his vote in a town or city other than his 

 own, if he is provided with a certificate from the 

 clerk of his own town or city stating that his name 

 is on the check list. 



A tax of 15 cents on the dollar was assessed on 

 polls and ratable estate. Other acts relating to 

 taxes provided for listing buildings on leased lands, 

 fixed details of collection, and placed the tax on 

 savings banks at the rate of -fa of 1 per cent, annu- 

 ally upon the average amount of deposits and ac- 

 cumulations, deducting therefrom the average 

 amount, not exceeding 10 per cent., of assets in- 

 vested in United States Government bonds, and the 

 average amount of the assessed valuation of the 

 real estate owned by such corporation, and also the 

 amount of individual deposits in excess of $1,500 

 each listed to the depositors in towns of the Slate 

 where such depositors reside, and a like tax upon 

 trust companies. 



Several measures were passed for the betterment 

 of highways, and several regulating investments of 

 savings banks and trust companies, payment of 

 dividends, and other matters connected with them. 



The fish and game laws were amended by various 

 provisions relating to seines and set lines, snaring 

 of game, exportation of game birds, etc., prohibit- 

 ing the killing of moose and caribou, and the kill- 

 ing of more than two deer in one season by one 

 person. 



A board of normal-school examiners was created. 

 Laws were also passed in regard to examinations of 

 public-school teachers and school attendance. 



Appropriations were made as follow : $65,000 



