MINNESOTA. 



543 



merited or malt liquors in any quantity whatsoever, 

 to nny minor person, pupil or student in any public 

 school, seminary, academy, or other institution of 

 learning, within this State, or to any intemperate 

 person or habitual drunkard ; and any person violat- 

 ing any of the provisions of this section shall be 

 guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof, 

 by any court having jurisdiction, shall be punished 

 by fine of not less than fifty nor more than one hun- 

 dred dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail, 

 not less than thirty nor more than ninety days, or 

 until such tine is paid ; and if any person so convict- 

 ed holds a license for the sale of such liquorgj said 

 license from and after the date of such conviction 

 shall be null and void in addition to the penalties 

 hereinbefore provided, and no license granted in ac- 

 cordance with the provisions of this chapter, or the 

 provisions of any city or village charter, ordinance, 

 or by-law, shall be construed so as to authorize the 

 sale of any of the liquors aforesaid, to the classes of 

 persons named in this section. 



Provision was also made for a thorough geo- 

 logical and natural history survey of the 

 State, to be carried on under the supervision 

 of the regents of the State University, who 

 shall cause a report of progress to be made on 

 or before the second Tuesday of December in 

 each year. The survey is to include investiga- 

 tions into the geology, mineralogy, botany, 

 and zoology of the State; and maps, charts, 

 specimens, and whatever else may illustrate 

 the subject, are to be duly collected and kept 

 for inspection at the university. 



The appropriations made by the Legislature 

 were as follows : 



Legislative $65.000 00 



Executive salaries 30,091 11 



Executive contingent 7,750 CO 



Judicial 38.350 00 



Public printing 27,600 00 



State institutions 250,766 76 



Miscellaneous 90,816 90 



War claims 1,362 50 



Grand total $511,73727 



The Supreme Court of the State in October 

 rendered a decision affirming the legality of 

 taxes levied to pay the interest and principal 

 of bonds issued by the city of St. Paul to aid 

 in the construction of the Lake Superior & 

 Mississippi Railroad. 



The financial condition of the State is re- 

 ported as satisfactory. The public debt, which, 

 at the beginning of the year was $350,000, 

 has been reduced to $250,000, which is entirely 

 invested in bonds, due to the school-fund. On 

 the 30th of November, 1871, there was a sur- 

 plus in the Treasury of $196,180.37, and the 

 receipts during the fiscal year amounted to 

 $783,481.28, making the available funds for 

 the year $979,661.65. The disbursements, 

 during the same period, amounted to $736,361.- 

 59, leaving a balance at the close of the year 

 of $243,300.06. The estimated receipts for 

 1873, including this surplus, are $618,022, 

 while the expenditures are estimated at $505,- 

 H50. The assessed valuation of property in 

 the State is $102,373,826, an increase of $16,- 

 000.000 in two years. 



The common-school fund of Minnesota now 

 amounts to $2,780,559.35, which has been 



wholly created in the last twelve years from 

 the sale of lands granted by the General 

 Government, being one - eighteenth of all 

 the public lands of the State. If the re- 

 mainder is disposed of to as good advantage 

 as that already sold, the school-fund will be 

 raised ultimately from this source to $15,000,- 

 000. The amount derived from this fund dur- 

 ing the past year was $162,264, while $791,- 

 918.96 was raised by taxation for the support 

 of schools. The total amount received for 

 this object was $954,182.96, and the total ex- 

 penditures amounted to $990,936.08. There 

 are 180,000 children of school-age in the State, 

 120,000, or 67 per cent., of whom attended the 

 public schools during the year, and 5,000, or 3 

 per cent, attended private schools, leaving 30 

 per cent, who did not attend school at all. 

 The number of teachers employed was 4,712, 

 of whom 3,056 were females and 1,656 males. 

 The average wages of teachers per month was 

 $37.39. During the year 229 new school- 

 houses were built, at an aggregate cost of 

 $150,155.62. 



There are three normal schools in the State, 

 located at Winona, Mankato, and St. Cloud. 

 These graduated 71 teachers during the year, 

 29 of whom were graduated at "Winona, 22 at 

 Mankato, and 20 at St. Cloud. The cost of 

 supporting these institutions was $24,930.20. 

 The State University, which was founded in 

 1851, and reorganized in 1867, has a rich en- 

 dowment of public lands, amounting in all to 

 202,083 acres, the minimum estimated value 

 of which is $920,000. Of this only about 86,- 

 000 acres have been sold, and the permanent 

 fund now amounts to but $119,765.74. The 

 university is under the government of a 

 Board of Regents, of which the Governor and 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction are mem- 

 bers ex officio. On the reorganization of the 

 institution five departments were established, 

 namely, a Department of Elementary Instruc- 

 tion ; a College of Science, Literature, and 

 Art ; a College of Agriculture and the Mechanic 

 Arts ; a Department of Medicine, and a De- 

 partment of Law. 



Considerable progress has been made toward 

 rendering the various departments efficient, 

 but the need of greater resources is severely 

 felt. The number of students in attendance 

 during the year was 245. This institution is 

 absolutely free to all who pass the required 

 preliminary examinations. 



The railroad system of Minnesota was be- 

 gun in 1862, and at the end of 1872 there were 

 1,906 miles of road completed, equipped, and 

 in successful operation, 356 miles having been 

 built and equipped during the year. The com- 

 panies have very generally disregarded the 

 legislation of the last two years concerning the 

 rate of the tariff on freights, and suits have been 

 brought against the Winona & St. Peter Rail- 

 road Company for violations of law, which are 

 still pending in the Supreme Court. Com- 

 missioners appointed by the Secretary of the 



