572 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



"under a system of local valuation well under- 

 stood to grossly underrate the value of prop- 

 erty." 



The Legislature passed two acts, both ap- 

 proved July 4, 1872, one of which relates " to 

 the appraisal of taxable property," and amends 

 general statutes by inserting in it a few words 

 which enjoin the public appraisers so to value 

 property for taxation " as they would appraise 

 the same in payment of a just debt from a sol- 

 vent debtor." The other act is u to establish 

 a new proportion for the assessment of public 

 taxes," and sets down the specific sum of "the 

 proportion of every thousand dollars of public 

 taxes hereafter to be raised, which each town 

 and place shall pay ; " the list of these towns 

 and places in every county of the State, and 

 the sum to be paid by each of them, being in- 

 serted in the act. It ordains also that " this 

 same shall be the proportion of assessment of 

 all public taxes, until a new proportion shall 

 be made and established." 



Two banks of discount still remain in New 

 Hampshire doing business under a charter of 

 the State. One of them had its charter re- 

 newed last year by act of the Legislature The 

 capital of this one is $50,000. 



There are, in New Hampshire, 54 savings- 

 banks, with deposits amounting in the aggre- 

 gate to $24,700,744.47, and an accumulated 

 surplus of $1,038,624.01 ; so that their total 

 assets belonging to depositors are $29,739,- 

 368.48. Two of these banks went into oper- 

 ation last year. The number of depositors re- 

 turned is 86,290, embracing more than one- 

 fourth of the whole population of the State. 

 The increase in the number of depositors, as 

 compared with the previous year, was 9,318, 

 or 12 per cent., and in the amount of deposits 

 it was $3,228,623.47, or 15 per cent. 



The education of youth appears to be care- 

 fully and successfully attended to in New 

 Hampshire. The number of public schools in 

 the State, of pupils attending them, and the 

 cost of their working during the last year, are 

 exhibited in the following summary statement : 



Whole number of school-districts 



Whole number of schools 



Graded schools 



Whole number of boys 



Whole number of girls 



Average attendance 



Number reported between four and four- 

 teen years of age not attending any school 



Whole number of male teachers 



Average wages per month, including board 

 Whole number of female teachers.. 



2,234 

 2,452 

 .325 

 37,998 

 34,764 



4,602 



585 



$37 56 



3,241 

 $24 33 



Average wages per month, including board 



Estimated value of school-houses and lots 

 with appurtenances $1,870,000 00 



Amount of money raised by town taxes for 

 support of schools 



Amount raised beyond what the law re- 

 quires $48,466 92 



Entire amount appropriated for support of 

 schools $568,527 77 



Appropriations for each scholar $6 43 



The operation of the existing law concern- 

 ing school-districts was modified by an act of 

 the Legislature at the session of 1870, " en- 

 abling towns to abolish school-districts by 



a vote at a legal meeting." Of all the 

 towns in the State, Milford alone availed 

 herself of the power given by the act ; and 

 the chairman of her Board of Education states 

 that "the working of the new system since 

 its adoption in March, 1871, has been more 

 satisfactory than was anticipated." The Su- 

 perintendent of Public Instruction, in his last 

 report, recommends a trial of the same plan 

 in the towns generally. 



The State Normal School, which has been 

 recently established to qualify teachers for the 

 common schools, seems to have fully realized 

 the object intended in its institution, as ap- 

 pears from the following statement : " During 

 the opening short term of eight weeks, in the 

 spring of 1871, more than 80 normal pupils 

 were present. The fall session numbered 130 

 pupils, six of whom graduated. During the 

 winter 70 of these were employed in teaching, 

 mostly in the schools of New Hampshire, and 

 60 returned to the Normal School. The'pres- 

 ent spring session numbers 132 normal pupils, 

 and has been a very successful term. Two 

 model schools, the Primary and Intermediate, 

 are connected, for the benefit of the Normal 

 Department." 



The State Reform School for the correction 

 and education of wayward boys was as pru- 

 dently and successfully managed last year as 

 it had been before. Its financial condition 

 was more prosperous than in the previous 

 year, as, with about the same number of in- 

 mates, the current expenses of the establish- 

 ment were less, and the earnings of the boys 

 by their labor considerably larger. 



The affairs of the State-prison appear to 

 have been in a satisfactory condition. " Its 

 business management for the past year has 

 resulted in a profit to the State of more than 

 $5,000, and the books of the treasurer show a 

 balance, in favor of the prison, of more than 

 $12,000 cash in hand." 



The Asylum for the Insane was established 

 in 1842. The report of the Superintendent 

 shows that "on the 1st day of May last there 

 were 225 persons under treatment in the in- 

 stitution 114 males and 111 females. During 

 the year 102 have been discharged, and 21 

 have died. Of these, 55 were fully restored, 

 31 partially restored, and 16 not improved. 

 There have been, in all, 3,091 persons at the 

 institution since its start. Of these, 1,261 

 have been restored to reason ; and 637 others, 

 without being fully restored, have so far im- 

 proved as to be tolerable members of general 

 society, and, as such, gone to their homes. 

 The whole number of patients supported by 

 towns, any part of last year, was 65." 



Manufacturing establishments have been 

 considerably increased in various portions of 

 the State, and the towns and villages in their 

 neighborhood have thereby sensibly increased 

 in wealth and prosperity. 



The railways were largely extended during 

 the year, and new lines opened to the use of 



