480 



MAINE. 



corporations. A good deal of time was spent 

 on the question of authorizing the towns to 

 aid in the establishment and operation of fac- 

 tories or other private concerns which con- 

 tributed indirectly to the public benefit. The 

 question was referred to the judges of the Su- 

 preme Court, who gave it as their opinion that 

 the Legislature could authorize assistance to 

 enterprises for the public benefit, but not to 

 those of a purely private character. This did 

 not determine whether or not manufacturing 

 enterprises were, within the meaning of the 

 constitution, intended for public benefit, and 

 that question was under discussion for some 

 time in the Legislature. A majority of the 

 committee, to which the matter had been re- 

 ferred, reported against authorizing towns to 

 lend the assistance intended in the proposed 

 bill, but a minority report which favored such 

 authorization was finally adopted. This par- 

 ticular bill had reference merely to the town 

 of Pittsfield, but was regarded as embodying 

 the general principle. 



Lot M. Morrill was reflected to the United 

 States Senate in the early part of the session, 

 and a bill was passed reapportioning the State 

 Senators and Eepresentatives in accordance 

 with the census of 1870. There was a disagree- 

 ment with regard to the apportionment of Sena- 

 tors. The representative population allowed 

 one Senator to 20,200 inhabitants, and the con- 

 stitution required the districts to " conform as 

 near as may be to county lines." The report of 

 a majority of the committee, which was adopt- 

 ed, made the districts conform exactly to county 

 lines with the following result, which was re- 

 garded as unfair by the minority : 



An act was passed granting a pension of $8 

 per month to soldiers and sailors who had been 

 disabled in the War of 1861, and to the wid- 

 ows, orphan children under twelve years of 

 age, and dependent mothers and sisters of 

 those who had died from injuries received in 

 the same war. 



Two acts were passed for promoting immi- 

 gration into the State. One of them made 

 provision for compelling the European & 

 North American Railway, under a penalty of 



a fine of $5,000 per annum, to fulfil the require- 

 ments of its charter, and appoint a suitable 

 immigrant agent and publish information re- 

 garding the public lands and general advan- 

 tages of the State. The other created a State 

 Board of Immigration, consisting of the Gov- 

 ernor, Secretary of State, and Land Agent, 

 who are required to appoint an agent in Swe- 

 den, and an agent in New Sweden, Maine, and 

 take measures for disseminating information 

 concerning the resources and advantnges of 

 the State, and the progress and condition of 

 the colony of New Sweden. The commission- 

 ers were also to exercise a general care and over- 

 sight in all interests relating to immigration. 



The financial exhibit for the year is very 

 favorable. On the 1st of January there was 

 a balance of $118,248.11 in the Treasury. The 

 receipts during the year were $2,190,109.61, 

 and the expenditures $2,115,911.21, which left 

 in the Treasury on the 30th of December a sur- 

 plus of $192,446.51. Of the amount paid out, 

 the principal sums were, $834,000 on the pub- 

 lic debt, and $479,579.50 interest on the public 

 debt. The debt at the beginning of the year 

 was $8,067,000 ; at the end of the year it had 

 been reduced to $7,227,900, while the amount 

 of the sinking fund and cash on hand in excess 

 of immediate liabilities would reduce it to 

 $6,274,310. The estimated receipts for 1872 

 amount to $1,268,749.24, and the expenditures 

 to $1,064,675.76. The State tax for the same 

 year is only 4f mills on the dollar of the valu- 

 ation of property. 



Seven new savings-banks have been organ- 

 ized during the year, making forty-nine in all 

 doing business in the State. The amount of 

 deposits at the close of the year, including re- 

 serve and profits, amounted to $22,789,802.45, 

 as against $16,597,888.78 for the preceding 

 year. There are still five banks of discount 

 operating under State laws, having a 



Capital stock of. ... ... $445,000 00 



Circulation 8,611 00 



Deposits 328,516 80 



Due on dividends 7.248 00 



Due to banks 4,779 04 



Profits 61,205 87 



$855,360 71 



The assets consist of 



Loans $588,843 25 



Bonds and stocks 81.475 00 



Real estate 16,000 00 



Due from banks 107,396 11 



Cash 61,646 35 



$855,360 71 



One mutual life-insurance company, three 

 stock marine-insurance companies, three stock 

 fire-marine companies, two mutual marine 

 companies, and thirty-four mutual fire, of 

 which twenty are town companies, are in op- 

 eration under State charters. Forty-four life 

 companies, one accident company, and sixty- 

 eight fire and fire-marine companies, incorpo- 

 rated by other States, do business in Maine. 



The common-school system is not so liberal- 

 ly supported as in most other Northern States. 



