542 



MINNESOTA. 



and 5,528 bushels of flax-seed, 1,781,855 pounds 

 of maple-sugar, 94,686 gallons of sorghum, and 

 23,637 of maple, molasses, 280,325 pounds of 

 honey, and 14,571 of wax. 



The total number of manufacturing establish- 

 ments was 9,455, using 2,215 steam-engines of 

 70,956 horse-power, and 1,500 water-wheels 

 of 34,895 horse-power, and employing 63,694 

 hands, of whom 58,347 were males above six- 

 teen, 2,941 females above fifteen, and 2,406 

 youth. The total amount of capital invested 

 was $71,712,283 ; wages paid during the year, 

 $21,205,355 ; value of materials consumed, 

 $68,142,515; and of products, $118,394,676. ^ 



The whole number of newspapers and peri- 

 odicals was 211, having an aggregate circula- 

 tion of 253,774, and issuing annually 19,686,978 

 copies. There were 16 daily, with a circulation 

 of 27,485; 3 tri-weekly, circulation 5,000; 174 

 weekly, circulation 192,889 ; 2 semi-monthly, 

 circulation 1,300 ; 16 monthly, circulation 27,- 

 100. 



There were 26,763 libraries, having 2,174,- 

 744 volumes. Of these, 23,761, with 1,596,113 

 volumes, were private, and 3,002, with 578,631 

 volumes, were other than private, including 

 116 circulating libraries, with 53,704 volumes. 



The total number of religious organizations 

 was 2,239, having 1,415 edifices, with 456,226 

 sittings, and property valued at $9,133,816. 

 The leading denominations were : 



The condition of pauperism and crime is 

 shown by the following statistics : 



Total population 1,184,059 



Number of persons receiving support durin^ 



the year ending June 1, 1870 3,151 



Cost of annual support $269.682 



Total number receiving support, June 1, 1870. . 2 042 



Native 853 



White 768 



Colored 85 



Foreign 1,189 



Number of persons convicted during the year. 835 

 Total number of persons in prison, June 1, 



1870 1,095 



Native 679 



White. 617 



Colored 62 



Foreign ''.'//. 415 



MINNESOTA. The last session of the 

 Minnesota Legislature, which began on the 2d 

 of January, continued until the 1st of March. 

 In accordance with the recommendation of 

 Governor Austin, four amendments to the 

 State constitution were submitted to a vote 

 of the people, to be taken at the next general 

 election. The first authorized an increase of 

 the public debt, for the purpose of completing 

 the Hospital for the Insane, the Deaf, Dumb, 

 and Blind Institute, and the State - prison. 

 The existing constitution forbade the contrac- 



tion of a public debt exceeding $250,000, 

 while the institutions named were all left in 

 an uncompleted condition for want of funds. 

 The second proposed amendment limited the 

 liabilities of stockholders in corporations, or- 

 ganized for the purpose of carrying on manu- 

 facturing or mechanical business, to the amount 

 of stock held or owned by them. The third 

 prohibited any county, city, or other munici- 

 pal corporation, from issuing bonds or becom- 

 ing indebted in any manner to aid in the con- 

 struction or equipment of railroads to any 

 amount that shall exceed 10 per centum of 

 the taxable property within the corporation. 

 The fourth authorized the sale of the internal 

 improvement lands in the manner provided 

 for the sale of the school lands, the proceeds 

 not to be appropriated to any purpose what- 

 ever until the enactment for that purpose shall 

 have been approved by a vote of the people. 



The vote on the first, third, and fourth of 

 these propositions was canvassed, and their 

 adoption proclaimed before the end of the year, 

 but the result on the second had not been an- 

 nounced, although it was understood to have 

 been adopted. 



A general insurance law was enacted, which 

 provides for the appointment of an insurance 

 commissioner by the Governor, with the con- 

 sent of the Senate, who is charged with seeing 

 that the various provisions of the act are car- 

 ried out. It contains stringent regulations for 

 ascertaining the condition of all corporations 

 engaged in the business of insurance, and 

 holding them to a strict responsibility. 



An act was also passed establishing a State 

 Board of Health, consisting of seven physi- 

 cians appointed by the Governor from differ- 

 ent sections of the State, who are required to 

 make sanitary investigations, and collect and 

 disseminate information concerning the causes 

 of disease, and the effects of localities, occu- 

 pations, etc., on the general health. They are 

 required to "devise some scheme whereby 

 medical and vital statistics of sanitary value 

 maybe obtained, and act as an advisory Board 

 to the State in all hygienic and medical mat- 

 ters, especially such as relate to the location, 

 construction, sewerage, and administration of 

 prisons, hospitals, asylums, and other public 

 institutions." They are required to hold reg- 

 ular meetings at least once in three months, 

 and to make an annual report to the Legisla- 

 ture of "their doing^, investigations, and dis- 

 coveries, with such suggestions as to legisla- 

 tive action as they may deem proper." They 

 are also charged with all matters pertaining to 

 quarantine, and authorized to "ennct and en- 

 force such measures as may be necessary to 

 the public health." 



The law relating to the sale of intoxicating 

 liquors was amended, so as to incorporate the 

 following provision : 



It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, isrivo, 

 barter, furnish, or dispose of in any manner, either 

 directly or indirectly, any spirituous, vinous, for- 



