MICHIGAN. 



559 



in operation 287 miles, of which 44 were built 

 in 1877 and 84 in 1878. The companies that 

 reported officially for the year 1877 show an 

 aggregate liability of funded and unfunded 

 debt of $167,271,421, with an aggregate capi- 

 tal stock of $145,527,662, or a total of stock 

 and debt of $312,799,083. There are no ac- 

 curate data from which to determine the pre- 

 cise amount of this capital invested within the 

 State. If it could be assumed that it would 

 bear its relative proportion to the whole, it 

 would then be about $187,000,000. In com- 

 pliance with the direction of the Legislature 

 of 1877, proceedings have been taken arid are 

 now pending to test the claim of the State 

 against the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern 

 Kailroad Company for the amount of certain 

 specific taxes claimed to be due and unpaid. 



The Legislature of 1875, impressed with the 

 importance of more intimately connecting by 

 railway communication the Upper Peninsula 

 of the State with the Lower, reserved from 

 sale 1,326,965 acres of land, to be given to any 

 company who might proceed and construct, 

 within a specified time, a continuous line of 

 railroad from the straits of Mackinac to the 

 city of Marquette. This valuable land grant 

 was deemed sufficient encouragement to secure 

 the early completion of the proposed railroad, 

 and would, without doubt, have accomplished 

 this result had not the financial crisis practi- 

 cally suspended railroad building throughout 

 the country. At various times responsible 

 parties seemed about to take hold of the en- 

 terprise and push it, but by reason of the com- 

 mercial depression failed to do so. In May, 

 1876, the Board of Control entered into a con- 

 tract with the Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, 

 and Mackinac Railroad Company for the con- 

 struction of this road, but no immediate steps 

 were taken to build it. On May 14, 1877, the 

 Legislature further continued the grant, and 

 extended the time for the completion of the 

 road to December 31, 1879. Last winter the 

 company with which the contract was made 

 claimed to have perfected an arrangement for 

 securing means for the immediate construction 

 of the road. The company gave the most 

 positive assurance that, with the opening of 

 navigation, work would be begun at various 

 points on the line, and be vigorously prose- 

 cuted until the road was in full operation. The 

 Board afforded every facility in its power to 

 aid in the enterprise, and appointed the Hon. 

 John J. Bagley and Hiram B. Crosby trustees 

 to receive and disburse the proceeds of any 

 pledges or securities made on the railroad and 

 lands to obtain the means for building it*. The 

 Board, having become satisfied that the par- 

 ties concerned were not financially able to 

 build it, have taken steps to declare the con- 

 tract forfeited, and to place the land grant so 

 that it may be available to any other parties 

 who may contract to build the road. u The 

 construction of this railroad," says Governor 

 Croswell, " is an urgent necessity, demanded 



not only to facilitate trade with the rich min- 

 ing regions of the Upper Peninsula, but to se- 

 cure to our people a fair share of the commerce 

 of that immense grain-producing section pen- 

 etrated for hundreds of miles by the Northern 

 Pacific Railroad. It is well understopd that 

 this great line of railroad is yet to be built 

 eastward from Duluth to the boundary of 

 Michigan, on the south shore of Lake Supe- 

 rior. Now, with a short extension of the line 

 projected from Mackinac to Marquette, we 

 shall be able to tap it, and to divert a large por- 

 tion of its travel and trade to this State, and 

 thus open the way for direct intercourse with 

 the vast extent of country it is built to trav- 

 erse. Communication between the Upper 

 and Lower Peninsulas is now carried on for 

 three fourths of the year by a circuitous route 

 through three other States, diverting the traf- 

 fic of an important section of this State else- 

 where, and making it tributary to other inter- 

 ests. The construction of the Mackinac and 

 Marquette Railroad would, in a great measure, 

 restore to us this trade, and bring the two 

 Peninsulas into nearer and more intimate rela- 

 tions." 



The number of insurance companies author- 

 ized to transact business in Michigan is 195. 

 Of these, 50 are incorporated under the laws of 

 this State, viz. : one life insurance company, 

 with assets amounting to over $900,000, and 

 risks in force to the amount of $11,641,000; 

 two stock fire companies, with an aggregate 

 of $22,000,000 at risk ; and 47 farmers' mutual 

 fire companies, embracing about 57,000 mem- 

 bers and risks in force to the amount of $107,- 

 000,000. The stock fire companies of other 

 States (102) and foreign governments (15) now 

 authorized number 117, and during the year 

 1877 wrote risks here to the amount of over 

 $136,000,000. From the year 1870 to 1877, 

 both inclusive, the aggregate of business done 

 in this State by stock fire insurance companies*' 

 is as follows : 



Risks written $1,210.261.365 



Premiums received 17071,744 



Losses incurred 9,847,689 



During the same period these companies 

 have paid into the State Treasury about $500,- 

 000 in specific taxes. In the year 1870 there 

 were 56 life insurance companies of other States 

 doing business in Michigan. This number has 

 been reduced to 28. The number of life insur- 

 ance policies now in force on the lives of citi- 

 zens of this State is about 22,000, representing 

 insurance to the amount of $42,000,000. 



Michigan ranks among the great wheat-pro- 

 ducing States of the Union. According to the 

 report of the Department of Agriculture at 

 Washington, the estimated production in bush- 

 els of the leading wheat-growing States in 

 1876 was as follows: California, 30,000,000; 

 Illinois, 23,440,000 ; Ohio, 21,750,000 ; Indiana, 

 20,000,000; Pennsylvania, 18,740,000; Iowa, 

 17,600,000; Wisconsin, 16,800,000; Kansas, 

 16,510,000; Minnesota, 16,000,000; Missouri, 



