412 



INDIANA. 



455 prisoners, and insufficient shop-room for 

 their profitable employment. The Southern 

 Prison contained 417 convicts on the 15th of 

 December, the average number in 1873 being 

 395. During the two years $39,379.26 was 

 expended for repairs. The ordinary expenses 

 for the same period amounted to $119,743.26, 

 and the proceeds of prison-labor are stated at 

 $136,314.73. The statement is somewhat con- 

 fused by including in the receipts from labor a 

 portion of $19,000 appropriated from the State 

 Treasury, and the labor of convicts in repair- 

 ing buildings, reckoned at sixty cents a day. 

 The labor of the convicts in this institution is, 

 for the most part, let out by contract to the 

 Southwestern Oar Company. The Reformatory 

 Institution for Women and Girls was opened in 

 September, 1873, and on the 1st of Decem- 



STATE-HOCSE, INDIANAPOLIS. 



ber, 1874, contained 93 inmates in the re- 

 formatory department and 30 in the penal de- 

 partment. The total expenditure for build- 

 ings and grounds has been $100,378.18. The 

 total disbursements by the State on account of 

 the institution have amounted to $128,255.55. 

 The expenses for 1874 were $12,879.85. The 

 labor of the inmates is not thus far remunera- 

 tive. The annual expense of each inmate is 

 estimated at $182, of which one-half is paid 

 by the county sending the convict. The super- 

 intendent is Mrs. Sarah J. Smith. 



The House of Refuge, located on a tract of 

 225 acres of land in Plainfield, contained on 

 the 1st of December 265 inmates. The expen- 

 diture of the year amounted to $57,002.58, of 

 which $15,582.35 was for improvements and 

 buildings. Two buildings were erected during 

 the year, one for a shop^ and one for a family- 

 house, which will provide for fifty boys. The 

 value of the improvements of the year is about 

 $25,000, of which $10,000 was derived from 

 the work of the boys. The boys are kept "at 

 work on the farm or in the buildings a fair 



share of the time, and are taught in schools, 

 and brought generally under beneficial in- 

 fluences. 



The State Board of Agriculture during the 

 year caused to be erected on the Fair-grounds 

 at Indianapolis a spacious structure for a State 

 exposition, as a permanent means of exhibiting 

 the products of the industries of the State. 

 The expense was borne mainly by citizens of 

 Indianapolis. 



An ornamental iron fence has been built 

 around the battle-ground at Tippecanoe by or- 

 der of the Legislature and at the expense of 

 the State. It cost $17,854.17, which was 

 $6,245.83 less than the amount appropriated 

 for the purpose. 



There are nine savings-banks in the State, 

 two at Indianapolis, two at Lafayette, and one 

 each at Laporte, Terre Haute, 

 Evansville, Fort Wayne, and 

 South Bend. There are also 

 nine banks of discount and de- 

 posit organized under State 

 law, one each at Decatur, 

 New Carlisle, Union City, 

 Newcastle, Columbus, Fort 

 Wayne, Madison, Anderson, 

 and Portland. 



The gross receipts for fire 

 insurance during the year 

 were $1,500,681.01 ; losses 

 paid, $666,590.29; taxes do., 

 $26,370.29. Gross receipts for 

 life insurance, $1,526,544.24; 

 losses paid, $889,240.32; tax- 

 es paid, $22,284.08. 



The number of miles of 

 railroad in the State is 3,- 

 737.12 of main track and 

 457.51 of side track; value 

 of main track, $27,887,998; 

 of side track, $2,699,356 ; 

 value of rolling-stock, $9,097,842 ; total value, 

 $39,740,042. 



The political campaign of the year opened 

 with a convention of farmers, which gathered 

 at Indianapolis on the 10th of June. In the 

 call for the convention which had been issued 

 in April, signed by a long list of names headed 

 by James Comstock, superintendent of the 

 State Grange, the following language was used : 



In response to the demand of the people for a re- 

 form in the conduct of public affairs, and the purifi- 

 cation of local, State, and national politics, the un- 

 dersigned, independent voters, invite and exhort the 

 people, irrespective of party ? to come together, in 

 township, county, and district, to select delegate 

 representatives, who shall meet in mass convention 

 on the 10th day of June, 1874, at Indianapolis, to 

 frame such measures ana select such men as shall 

 represent their sentiments and carry out their pur- 

 poses. In the selection of such delegates, it is essen- 

 tial that the friends of reform guard vigilantly against 

 the intrusion of any one not known to be in cordial 

 sympathy with the objects of this movement. The 

 success of this popular outbreak depends upon the 

 exclusion of the party managers and self-seeking 



