CALIFORNIA. 



117 



Tho valuation of school property is as fol- 

 lows: 





The State Superintendent of Schools makes 

 the following recommendations : 



Greater attention to the school library system ; in 

 favor of free text-books and the abolition ot the text- 

 book from the school-room whenever possible ; to se- 

 cure permanency to teachers' positions ; that the exag- 

 gerated estimate placed upon the supposed virtue of 

 examinations be corrected ; that steps be taken to pre- 

 vent the waste of one half of the school money because 

 of the incapacity and neglect of local officers ; the 

 adoption and teaching of the metric system ; in favor 

 of the reform or phonetic system of spelling ; the en- 

 couragement of the kindergarten system hi the larger 

 cities oy permitting graduates of kindergarten normals 

 to serve for three months without salary as a prepara- 

 tory course. 



The condition of the insurance business in 

 the State on January 1, 1879, is shown in the 

 following statements : 



FIRE INSURANCE. 



Amount written 1238,689,040 98 



Amonnt of premiums received 8,589,622 28 



Amount of losses paid 981,995 61 



Batio of losses to premiums received 26 .8 



MARINE INSURANCE. 



Amount written $77,106,770 10 



Amonnt of premiums received 1,868,338 64 



Amount of losses paid, as far as reported 561,128 45 



TOTAL FIRE AND MARINK. 



Amount written $316,745.911 08 



Amount of premiums received 4.902. S55 ST 



Amount of losses paid, as far as reported 1 ,4^3,124 06 



Apportioned as follows : 



To Companies of this State. 



FIRE INSURANCE. 



Amount written $62,865.487 00 



Amount of premiums received 895,908 03 



Amount of losses paid 279,899 83 



MARINE INSURANCE. 



Amount written $16,608,605 00 



Amount of premium received 416,189 80 



Amount of losses paid 257,495 41 



To Companies of other States. 



FIRE INSURANCE. 



Amount written $54,980,798 04 



Amount of premiums received 875,881 63 



Amount of losses paid 280,686 60 



MARINE INSURANCE. 



Amonnt written $441.450 00 



Amount of premiums received 7,144 08 



Amount of losses paid 6,055 53 



To Companies of Foreign Countries. 



FIRI INSURANCE. 



Amonnt written $110,848,760 80 



Amount of premiums received 1,768,888 88 



Amount of losses paid 431,909 68 



MARINE INSURANCE. 



Amount written $60,156,715 10 



Amount of premiums received 041,050 81 



Amount of losses paid, as far as reported .... 887,577 61 



LIFE INSURANCE. 



New life policies written (California business), 2,208. 



Amount of. $7,&10,<MO 00 



Premium 801,068 12 



Benewed policies, 7,055. 



Amount of. $24,644^05 20 



Premium 8^91 00 



Policies In force December 81, 1878, 10,997. 



Amountof. $85,856.291 20 



Losses and endowments paid 1,126,700 90 



The railroads of the State have been chiefly 

 constructed during the last ten years, and the 

 larger part of the entire system was either 

 built or subsequently constructed by the Cen- 

 tral Pacific Railroad Company. This Company 

 was incorporated in 1862, and in 1865 it had 

 only 56 miles of road in operation. This was 

 increased to 187 in 1867. During the ten suc- 

 ceeding years, the miles of road operated were 

 increased from year to year as follows: 1868, 

 468; 1869, 742; 1870, 900; 1871, 1,094; 1872, 

 1,222; 1873, 1,222; 1874, 1,219; 1875, 1,309; 

 1876, 1,425 ; 1877, 1,783. The figures for the 

 last two years include leased railroads. A long 

 stride was made in 1877, when 868 miles of 

 railroad came under the control of the Com-- 

 pany, the largest for any one year in its history 

 up to that time. The Southern Pacific is built 

 to Casa Grande, 182 miles from Yuma and 918 

 miles from San Francisco. This is a longer 

 single stretch of rail than the northern branch. 

 Commencing at the westerly end of Oakland 

 wharf, the road runs northerly to Martinez, 

 thence easterly to Tracy, thence in a south- 

 easterly direction to its present terminus at 

 Casa Grande in Arizona, passing through such 

 towns as Merced, Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield, 

 Los Angeles, Colton, Yuma, and Maricopa. 

 At Visalia there is a branch to Halford, and 

 at Los Angeles there are three branches, one 

 running to Santa Monica, one to Wilmington, 

 and one to Santa Ana. Much of this southern 

 road has been built within the past three years. 

 The work of extending it is still in progress, 

 and it will soon reach a point where connec- 

 tions can be made with the roads traversing 

 the Atlantic States, thus giving two roads 

 across the continent. 



The gross earnings of the Central Pacific 

 Railroad Company for the year 1877 were 

 $16,000,000, as follows: 



Coin receipts. $10,637,?20 



Currency receipts 6,888,615 



Total $16,471,144 



Operating expenses 7,774,418 



Net receipts of Central Pacific $8,696,726 



Net receipts of California Pacific 506,826 



Net receipts of both roads $9,808,55? 



