MASSACHUSETTS. 



627 



,ying bounties to volunteers, and the bounty 

 authorized to be paid by the governor was lim- 

 ited to $50 per man. Another act prohibited 

 cities and towns from voting or appropriating 

 any money to relieve or discharge men who 

 should be drafted, or from paying bounties or 

 gratuities to any volunteer or drafted man, ex- 

 cept such as should be authorized by existing 

 laws. 



To provide a remedy for this state of things, 

 Governor Andrew convened a special session 

 of the Legislature, on November llth, and in 

 an elaborate message recommended an addition 

 to the monthly pay of volunteers, rather than 

 a large bounty paid at the time of muster- 

 ing into service. Much diversity of opinion 

 was manifested on the subject, and a bill was 

 finally passed which may be considered as a 

 compromise between both methods. It pro- 

 vided for the payment of a bounty of $325 on 

 mustering into service, or, if the recruit should 

 elect, a bounty of $50, and the additional pay 

 of $20 per month, and in case a soldier should 

 be discharged honorably after six months' ser- 

 vice, the same was to be continued for six 

 months longer, or, if he should die in service, 

 the money was to be paid to his legal repre- 

 sentatives. The bill also provided for the re- 

 taining of the money in the State treasury sub- 

 ject to the call of the volunteer, to bear five 

 per cent, interest ; gave the State aid to fami- 

 lies who might need it, notwithstanding the 

 increased bounty ; provided for the paying of 

 the bounties, the borrowing of the money at a 

 rate of interest not to exceed five per cent., 

 and the punishment of persons fraudulently 

 obtaining the bounty. The passage of the bill 

 gave a considerable stimulus to volunteering, 

 and under the inducement of the large boun- 

 ties offered by the State and the General Gov- 

 ernment, there was every appearance at the close 

 of the year that the quota of Massachusetts 

 would soon be filled. 



The annual report of the Board of Education 

 shows that the sum raised during the year for 

 wages, board, fuel, care of firesand school rooms, 

 amounted to $1,434,015.20, which, added to 

 the sum of $49,044.05 distributed to the towns 

 out of the school fund, makes a total of nearly a 

 million and a half of dollars expended in sup- 

 port of public schools, exclusive of repairs and 

 the erection of school-houses, and the cost of 

 school-books. The number of public schools 

 in the State is 4,626. In addition to these there 

 are fifty-six incorporated academies and four 

 normal schools supported by the State, beside 

 numerous private schools. The number of 

 persons in the State between the ages of five 

 and fitteen years, is 238,381 ; number of schol- 

 ars of all ages in all the public schools, in sum- 

 mer, 225,921 ; in winter, 227,252 ; average at- 

 tendance in all the schools in winter, 182,041 ; 

 in summer, 180,062; average wages of male 

 teachers per month, including the value of 

 board, $44 87 ; of female teachers, $18.90. This 

 is a decline of about fifty cents per month in 



the wages of both classes of teachers. Many 

 towns neglected to keep their common schools 

 the full time required by law, and to maintain 

 High Schools as provided for by the statutes. 

 In eighty-three towns the common schools 

 were not kept for the term of six months, and 

 forty-six towns which should maintain High 

 Schools have neglected to do so. 



The reports of the penal, reformatory, and 

 benevolent institutions of the State, showed 

 that they were generally in a satisfactory con- 

 dition. The number of paupers in the State 

 almshouses was materially decreased from the 

 previous year, and in consequence of the lack 

 of able-bodied male inmates it became neces- 

 sary to hire help for nearly all the farm opera- 

 tions connected with those institutions. This 

 was owing to the scarcity and high prices of 

 labor, and to the plentiful inducements held 

 out by the recruiting officers. The number of 

 prisoners in the State prison was seventy-four 

 less than in the previous year, and the number 

 of commitments, both in 1862 and 1863, was 

 smaller than for many years. The Legislature 

 of 1863 created a board of State charities, hav- 

 ing general supervision of the subject. 



The following table exhibits the condition of 

 the banks to November 30th, 1863 : 



Capital stock $66,901,340 



Circulation 81,773,972 



Deposits 46,062,149 



Due to other banks 12,146,001 



Total liabilities $156,883,462 



Notes and bills discounted $134,708,363 



Specie 9,324,013 



Due from other banks 18,650,805 



Total resources $162,683,181 



The following table, prepared from the an- 

 nual reports of the Massachusetts railroad com- 

 panies, shows their progress and condition dur- 

 ing the last fourteen years: 



The earnings of the roads, temporarily de- 

 pressed in 1861 through the influence of the 

 rebellion, show, so far as statistics have been 

 received, a large increase in 1863, and at no 

 time since the introduction of the railway sys- 

 tem into Massachusetts has it stood on a firmer 

 basis. The number of miles of road in the 

 State is sufficient for the present needs of the 

 population, and most of the companies are ex- 

 pending liberal sums in repairing and strength- 



