NEVADA. 



657 



for India. In July the entire Ministry resigned. 

 The reason for tills Step WM that MTIOIIH ditlVr- 

 enoes had arHt-n between the Ministry and the 

 King on an important constitutional question. 

 The Ministry desired to increase the number of 

 members of each Chamber, and also to change 

 the qualification of voters, and resigned because 

 the King did not favor the plan. On August 

 18th a now Ministry was formed, as follows: 

 Lyndon van Sandenberg, President and Minis- 

 ter of Foreign affairs ; Six, Interior ; Modder- 

 man, Justice; S. Vissering, Finance; Taelman 

 Kip, Navy ; Colonel Reuther, War ; Van Gol- 

 stein, Colonies ; Klerck, Commerce and Indus- 

 try. 



The budget of the Ministry of War, which 

 occupied the attention of the Chambers during 

 the spring session, was passed on May 28th by 

 69 to 14 votes. It proposed extensive fortifica- 

 tions on the coast. 



In opening the Chambers on September 15th, 

 the King dwelt upon the distress under which 

 industry, commerce, and navigation were labor- 

 ing, and upon the poor harvest. These causes, 

 it was to be feared, would result in a decline in 

 the yield of some of the imposts, and a neces- 

 sity for strengthening the resources of the Trea- 

 sury. He announced that, for the purpose of 

 promoting the prosperity of the country, the 

 Government would maintain the salutary prin- 

 ciples of free trade, and would propose mea- 

 sures for the improvement of the means of 

 communication. 



The fall session of the Chambers was occu- 

 pied with the discussion of the budgets of the 

 kingdom and of tne East Indian colonies for 

 1880, which were both voted by the Chambers. 

 The former showed a deficit of 8,000,000 flor- 

 ins, and the latter of 6,000,000 florins, which 

 was, however, reduced to 2,500,000 florins by 

 the increased sale of tobacco. The duty on 

 sugar was slightly increased. 



On January 7th the King was married to 

 Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont, at Arol- 

 sen in the principality of Waldeck. She is the 

 third daughter of Prince George of Waldeck, 

 and was born August 2, 1858. 



The war in Acheen was declared by the Gov- 

 ernment to be virtually at an end at the close of 

 the year, but the Batavian journals described 

 the condition of the country as being far from 

 satisfactory. 



NEVADA. The Legislature of this State 

 opened its session of 1879 in the first week of 

 January, and closed it by adjourning tine die 

 on March 6th, when the time of its duration 

 expired by constitutional limitation. 



On January 14th the two Houses separately 

 voted for the election of a United States Sena- 

 tor, the official term of the present incumbent, 

 John P. Jones, expiring on "March 8d. Mr. 

 Jones was reeiected, the vote being as follows : 

 In the Senate Jones 19, A. M. Hillhouse 6 ; 

 in the House Jones 41, Hillhouse 8. 



On January 21st W. W. Bishop, T. N. Stone, 

 and J. 8. Mayhugh were elected Regents of 

 VOL. xix. 42 A 



the State University by joint ballot of the two 

 Houses. 



The most important of the numerous acts of 

 a public character passed at this session were 

 the following: To pay the State debt proper, 

 and to purchase Territorial bonds ; fixing the 

 State tax at fifty-five cents on every hundred 

 dollars; exempting from taxation widows' 

 property to the amount of one thousand dol- 

 lars ; to create a State Board of Equalization ;* 

 to redistrict the State ; to encourage the grow- 

 ing of trees ; appropriating ten thousand dol- 

 lars for the relief of the sufferers of Reno. 

 Among the joint resolutions were the follow- 

 ing: Instructing the State Representatives in 

 Congress "to support the bill limiting the 

 number of Chinese to be brought to the Uni- 

 ted States to fifteen for each vessel and voy- 

 age," and others tending to discourage the em- 

 ployment of Chinese in the State, and give 

 white men a better chance ; asking of Con- 

 gress an extension of time (ten years) in which 

 to comply with the provisions of the act re- 

 specting the use of lands granted the State for 

 educational purposes. 



In order to give uniformity to the legislative 

 action relative to railroads, a resolution was 

 adopted by the Lower House appointing a 

 select committee of one member from each 

 county " to prepare a bill to regulate fare and 

 freight rates on railroads " ; and a concurrent 

 resolution was adopted by both Houses on 

 February 6th, " referring all railroad bills to a 

 joint select committee of fourteen." On Feb- 

 ruary 25th the committee presented a majority 

 report against the railroad bills, which was 

 sustained. A bill to prevent discrimination in 

 fares and freights on railroads operated wholly 

 or in part within the State passed the House 

 of Representatives on January 30th by an al- 

 most unanimous vote ; it passed also the Sen- 

 ate on February 4th, with an amendment, 

 which applies the provisions of the act to the 

 local roads of the State, considered as inde- 

 pendent and having no connection in the sense 

 of their being a continuous line with the Cen- 

 tral Pacific. It provides that their fares and 

 freights shall be regulated directly by the laws 

 of the State, and not indirectly by " schedules, 

 rates, agreements, or contracts " of any oat- 

 side railroad company whose line operates also 

 within the State. The charges of transporta- 

 tion, especially for merchandise, have been 

 thereby greatly reduced. The reduction on 

 the Virginia and Truckee road, as appears 

 from a detailed statement made by its freight 

 agent in March, 1879, ranges from one fifth to 

 28 per cent., running through almost all the 

 intermediate numbers between these two ex- 

 tremes, according to the various classes of 

 goods transported, and the distances between 

 the several points on the line. The company 

 estimates the decrease in its gross earnings at 

 12J to 15 per cent., which is considered equiv- 

 alent to a diminution of over 30 per cent, in 

 the net proceeds. 



