592 



NEBRASKA. 



when it is ready for service. The same torpedo 

 can be effectively employed from any vessel 

 fitted with a tube above or below the water, 

 and the machinery for ejecting the torpedo. 



NEBRASKA. An incomplete census of Ne- 

 braska, taken in the early spring of this year, 

 showed a population of 313,748, distributed 

 over an area of 75,995 square miles. Of the 

 48,000,000 acres of land in the State, fully 30,- 

 000,000 are said to be suitable for agriculture, 

 while only about 2,500,000 have been brought 

 under cultivation. The estimated yield of ce- 

 reals for the year is as follows: wheat, 15,000,- 

 000 bushels; corn, 42,000,000; oats, 8,000,000; 

 barley, 3,000,000 ; rye, 1,000,000. There are 

 2,443,148 acres of the lands donated by the Gen- 

 eral Government for the permanent endowment 

 of the public schools remaining unsold. This in- 

 cludes those sections located in the unorganized 

 part of the State. During the years 1877 and 

 1878, deeds were granted for 6,771 acres, and 

 26,849 acres were disposed of on the credit sys- 

 tem at an average price of $7.54 cents per acre. 

 Prior to the year 1877 there had been 80,381 

 acres of school lands leased to individuals, at 

 an average rental of 6 per cent, of their ap- 

 praised value, and there have since been leased 

 100,918 acres, at an average of 8 per cent. 

 The revenue derived from this source exceeds 

 $50,000 per annum, and will increase as other 

 lands are leased. This sum goes to swell the 

 temporary school fund. Of the university 

 lands, 43,849 acres remain unsold; 1,271 acres 

 were disposed of at an average of $8.20 per acre, 

 and 3,525 acres were leased. The 89,453 acres 

 donated by the Government for the support of 

 an agricultural college remain intact. There 

 are also 9,602 acres of the twenty sections of 

 normal school endowment lands remaining on 

 hand. The State also holds the title to 13,605 

 acres of saline lands, 1,357 acres of penitenti- 

 ary lands, 480 acres of internal improvement 

 lands, and 308 lots in the city of Lincoln. 



There are 1,320 miles of railroad completed 

 and in operation within the limits of the State. 

 The average assessed value for the year was 

 $6,938.15 per mile. The assessed value of all 

 taxable property in the State was $74,389,- 

 535.97, showing an increase of $3,077,957.07 

 over the previous year. The rate of taxation 

 was 6f mills on each dollar, and the amount 

 collected for the fiscal period of two years, 

 ending November 30th, was as follows : 



General fund $517,977 82 



Mnkmp fund 120.240 58 



Common-school fund 145,333 27 



Lniversity fund 40,31439 



Total $8237866~06 



The levy of 1878 alone yielded the following 

 amounts : 



CJenoral fund, four mills 4907 vis is 



Sinking fund, one mill ::::;;.; * eJ'S? 25 



Common-school fund, one mill. . . 74 389 50 



University fnnd, | mill 27,896 03 



Total $467,780 96 



The amount of delinquent taxes accumulated 



since Nebraska was first organized as a Terri- 

 tory is $821,125.77. The aggregate amount 

 drawn from the several funds for two years 

 was $993,009.38, and the current expenses of 

 the Government are now estimated at $500,000 

 a year. The permanent school fund amounts 

 to $535,167.35, and yields $36,786.12 annually 

 for the support of common schools. The con- 

 dition of the public Treasury is shown in the 

 following statement : 



Balance on hand November 30, 1876 $324.053 C8 



Total receipts during two years ending Novem- 

 ber 30, Ib78. 1,908,887 40 



Total $2,282,891 08 



Disbursements for all purposes during the same 

 period 1,772,209 99 



Balance on hand November 30, 1878 $460,181 09 



In accordance with the provisions of the act 

 approved February 14, 1877, providing for 

 funding the outstanding warrants and other 

 indebtedness of the State, bonds were issued 

 amounting to $549,267.35, bearing 8 per cent, 

 interest, running twenty years, and were dis- 

 posed of as follows : 



For the redemption of certificates of indebted- 

 ness issued by the State and held by the per- 

 manent school fund $342,957 84 



Sold to the permanent school fund at par for 

 cash S3,810 01 



Sold to the highest bidder for cash (at $1 .07) . . 123,000 00 



Total $549.26785 



Premium on the $123,000 sold for $1 .07 8,610 00 



Total amount realized $557,877 85 



The amount realized was used in canceling 

 the indebtedness specified in the funding act. 

 The State has no indebtedness other than that 

 represented by the following bonds : 



Ten per cent, ten-year bonds issued for the 

 relief of grasshopper sufferers in 1875 $50,000 00 



Eight per cent, funding bonds issued April, 

 1877 549,267 85 



Total $599,267 85 



Of the amount in the Treasury at the close 

 of the fiscal year, $123,685.82 is credited to 

 the State sinking fund. The total county in- 

 debtedness in the State is $5,692,814, which 

 includes $1,043,225 of school-district indebt- 

 edness. 



In the 62 organized counties of the State 

 there are 2,690 school districts. The number 

 of children of school age is 104,017, an in- 

 crease of 11,856 since 1876. The number of 

 teachers employed is 3,730. The total receipts 

 for school purposes, for the year ending April 

 1st, were $849,300.45; expenditures, $936,- 

 931.98. At the same date the treasuries of 

 districts and counties contained $342,949.46 

 belonging to school funds. The amount ap- 

 portioned from the State fund for two years 

 was $414,894.04. The school districts have 

 an aggregate bonded indebtedness of $837,184, 

 and a floating debt of $1 99,061.02. 



The State University, at Lincoln, is in a 

 flourishing condition, and the number of stu- 

 dents has increased 60 per cent in two years. 



