8 3 8 MICHIGAN 



trative and judicial departments, the mayor to appoint four general managers to be heads 

 of departments of public works, health and safety, parks and public property, and finance 

 and revenue. St. Joseph adopted a commission charter in 1912. Charter commissions in 

 Holland and Saginaw have not yet reported. 



Finance. In 1911 a special tax commission was appointed to investigate the entire 

 system of taxation; and a state board of equalisation was created. The board of tax com- 

 missioners under a law of 1911 inventoried and appraised all mining property and mineral 

 rights; these are all taxable under this act. The legislature provided for a tax of 5 mills on 

 mortgages and liens and for taxes on railway stock, bonds, interest coupons, etc., by an act 

 which requires corporations to deduct the tax from dividend, interest or principal to be paid 

 to the holders of bonds. A uniform accounting system is to be adopted in all state depart- 

 ments, as well as institutions and boards; the system was not introduced throughout in 1912. 

 Maximum rates of interest to be charged by pawn-brokers were prescribed. In 1912 a tax 

 of $2,060,000 for 1911 and one of $1,063,000 for 1912 were made for appropriations for which 

 the legislature had provided no special tax. The state treasurer's report for the year ending 

 June 30, 1912 showed a balance on hand of $8,980,404 (as compared with 2,235,425 at the 

 end of the preceding year), and receipts of $I4,I9&,498. Of the total amount on hand $5,466,- 

 584 was primary school interest fund and $3,372,608 general fund. Nearly one-half of the 

 receipts was from county treasurers and nearly as large a proportion partly included in the 

 other class was from business corporations, $5,317,205. 



Education. The compulsory education law of 1911 has been described above. Districts 

 that do not maintain high schools must pay tuition to one of the three nearest high schools 

 for children who have completed eight grades. Any school district may establish a vocational 

 school or a gymnasium and is empowered to accept gifts and legacies; this law enabled the 

 schools of \Vest Saginaw to accept a bequest for vocational education. In the autumn of 

 1912 an industrial co-operative department was opened in the Lansing high school. Physical 

 training must be taught in public schools in city school districts with a population greater 

 than 10,000 and in all state normal schools. The township unit law was amended by an act 

 which permits women to vote on the question of reorganising under this law. Fraternities 

 and school societies were abolished in all public schools. In 1910 the percentage of illiteracy 

 in the population IO years and over was 3.3 (4.2 in 1900). In the school year ending June 

 30, 1912 the number of children between 5 and 20 was 783,770, the total enrollment 545,279 

 and the average daily attendance 75 % of this number. The average length of the school 

 year was 9.1 months in city and graded districts and 8.1 months in ungraded districts. 

 The total number of teachers employed was 18,207 at an average monthly salary for men of 

 $79.84 and for women of $53.53. 



The excellence of the public school system is largely due to Luther Lamphear Wright 

 (b. 1856), state superintendent since 1907, who has attempted to discard text books in 

 language- work and arithmetic and urges the adoption of a 12-months school system. (See 

 Kathleen Nicholson, "The Michigan Schools" in Educational Review, June 1912.) 



Penal Institutions. The 1911 legislature provided that prison labour should be used on 

 the state prison at Jackson and on the House of Correction and the branch of the prison in 

 the Upper Peninsula. Convicts may be employed on state roads, but not to displace skilled 

 labour, and are to be paid a minimum of SGC a day, plus a bid price bonus. A house of correc- 

 tion with a public account system and wages like the system in the Detroit House of Correc- 

 tion (which is a municipal institution) may be established in any city with more than 100,000 

 inhabitants. The governor may parole any life convict who has served 25 years or 25 years 

 less a proportional time for good conduct. In September 1912 there were serious riots in the 

 state prison at Jackson, where convicts got control of the institution and militia had to be 

 called out. The warden's friends found the reason for the outbreak in the contrast between 

 his strict discipline and previous slackness; his enemies, in poor food furnished to the con- 

 victs. Immediately after the riot the prison warehouse was burned. 



History. Chase Salmon Osborn (b. 1860), Republican, editor and proprietor since 

 1901 of the Saginaw Courier-Herald, having defeated the Democratic candidate,, Law- 

 ton Thomas Hemans (b. 1864; author of History of Michigan, 1906), by 202,863 t 

 159,670 votes, became governor January i, IQII. The legislature, elected on a radical 

 Republican platform, chose (Jan. i8th) Charles Elroy Townsend (b. 1856; representa- 

 tive in Congress 1903-11 and chosen for 1911-13) to be United States senator, to succeed 

 Julius C. Burrows (b. 1837), conservative Republican, representative in Congress 1873- 

 75, 1879-83, 1885-95, an d senator 1895-1911, whom he had defeated in the first senato- 

 rial primary in the state, September 7, 1910. In state and local elections, April 3, 1911. 

 the Republicans were in general successful; and in Flint a strong Socialist vote was cast 

 and the Socialist candidate for mayor was elected. There were local option elections in 

 April 1912, and at the end of the year 35 (of 83) counties were " no licence." At the 

 primaries (Aug. 27, 1912) about 150.000 Republican votes and only about 6,500 Progres- 



