660 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



as the most important of the session. The act 

 failed to pass, because of the strong opposition 

 of a large number of members in both Houses ; 

 and its failure is reckoned a discredit to the 

 General Assembly. 



The Commissioners appointed under an act 

 of the Legislature of 1877 to compile the pub- 

 lic statutes of the State then in force, including 

 those of that year's session, and to make such 

 changes and alterations in the existing laws 

 as they might deem necessary on account of 

 the constitutional amendments shortly before 

 adopted, and also on account of any change that 

 might be made in the time of holding the elec- 

 tion of town officers, or in the tenure of office 

 of such officers, reported the result of their la- 

 bors to the Legislature at this session. Their 

 report, after examination and slight modifi- 

 cation, was approved by both Houses, and on 

 their order published before the end of the year 

 as the Revised Statutes of New Hampshire. In 

 this new body of State laws Governor Head, in 

 his message to the Legislature of 1879, avers 

 not only that "numerous verbal mistakes oc- 

 cur," but also that u certain statutes have been 

 left incomplete, ambiguous, or in seeming con- 

 flict with each other," requesting them to cor- 

 rect its many imperfections, of which he men- 

 tions some particular instances. A law was 

 accordingly enacted for that purpose. 



The State income and expenditures during 

 the fiscal year ended May 31, 1879, were as fol- 

 lows: 



Receipts from all sources, Including $13,337.09 

 cash on hand at the beginning of the year, June 

 1,1878 $1,178,104 10 



Disbursements on all accounts 1,109,847 20 



Cash on hand June 1, 1S79 $63,756 90 



The revenue from State tax, railroad and in- 

 surance taxes, and other sources, for the same 

 year, was $525,884.43. The expenses were : 



Ordinary $222,898 65 



Extraordinary 188,236 77 



Interestpaid 208,069 84 



Total $569,205 26 



Excess of expenses over revenue $43,860 83 



Among the items of extraordinary expenses 

 last year was the sum of $94,704.40 paid on ac- 

 count of the new State-Prison building. 



The valuation of property and apportionment 

 of State tax in the various counties, as made 

 by the State Board of Equalization, are as fol- 

 lows: 



Number of ratable polls, 86,704. 



The valuation in 1876 was $198,660,359, 

 showing an increase of $7,298,696. This in- 

 crease in the value of property within the State 

 is considered to be wholly or mostly the result 

 of the inventory law enacted in 1878, for as- 

 sessment purposes. 



The public debt of New Hampshire on June 

 1, 1879, was as follows: 



Liabilities $3,688,608 20 



Assets 65,052 30 



Net indebtedness $3,573,550 90 



On June 1, 1878, it was: 



Liabilities $3,544.508 24 



Assets , 14,318 17 



Net indebtedness $8,530,190 07 



Increase of debt during the year 

 1879 $43,860 88 



On the principal of the State debt the sum 

 of $183,400 was paid in 1878, namely : State 

 bonds, $101,000; State notes, $82,400. 



"An act to amend the existing law in rela- 

 tion to the annual invoice of polls and taxable 

 property" was passed. The substance of its 

 chief provisions is as follows : Every person or 

 corporation liable to taxation is required to re- 

 turn under oath an inventory of his or their 

 taxable property, and its value, by filling blanks 

 distributed by the Secretary of State for that 

 purpose. The oath required of the tax-payer 

 is to the effect that the inventory returned by 

 him contains a true statement of all his prop- 

 erty liable to taxation. If this sworn inven- 

 tory is found by the assessors, on examination, 

 to be honestly made and exact according to 

 law, they shall assess the tax-payer's property 

 upon the basis of the value set down for it by 

 himself; but " if any such person or corpora- 

 tion shall willfully omit to make such invento- 

 ry or to answer any interrogatory therein, as 

 required, or shall make any false answer or 

 statement therein, or in relation to the estate 

 or property for which he is taxable, or if such 

 selectmen or assessors shall be of opinion that 

 such inventory so returned does not contain a 

 full, true, and correct statement of the estate 

 and property for which such person or corpo- 

 ration is taxable, according to the requirement 

 of such interrogatories, and that there has been 

 such willful omission or false answer or state- 

 ment on the part of said person or corporation, 

 the selectmen or assessors shall ascertain as 

 nearly as may be, and in such way and man- 

 ner as they may be able, the amount and value 

 of the property and estate for which, in their 

 opinion, he is liable to be taxed, and shall then 

 set down to such person or corporation, by way 

 of doomage, four times as much as such estate 

 and property, if honestly inventoried and re- 

 turned, would be legally taxable." 



The condition of the savings banks, in regard 

 to the amount of deposits, number of deposi- 

 tors, and other particulars, for the last year, is 

 as follows : 



