838 



WISCONSIN. 



from fifty cents to three dollars per acre. The 

 report of the commissioners shows that there 

 are now on hand nearly 1,000,000 acres of 

 public lands; that there are nearly 240,000 

 acres not yet put in the market ; and that there 

 were selected during the year 67,000 acres, for 

 which the State will soon receive patents. 



EDUCATION. The attendance at schools of 

 pupils between the age's of seven and fifteen 

 years is 87 per cent of the whole number in 

 the State between those ages. The total val- 

 uation of school property, including buildings, 

 sites, libraries, etc., is $5,614,938, The total 

 amount expended for public and private schools 

 during the school year was $2,577,402. 



There were 948 students in attendance at 

 the various normal schools during the year. 

 There were 31 graduated and 61 licensed, 

 and there are now employed in the public 

 schools of the State 330 graduates of the nor- 

 mal schools, and 1,053 undergraduates. Sixty 

 institutes were held in 51 counties, with a to- 

 tal attendance of 3,882, and at an expense of 

 $6,433. The regents report the schools in a 

 prosperous condition, and earnestly endeavor- 

 ing to perform the work assigned to them. 



The annual catalogue of the State University 

 for 1882-'83 reports the total number of stu- 

 dents in the institution at 367. 



The total receipts of the university for the 

 fiscal year were $98,932.37; total disburse- 

 ments, $92,736.90. The balance September 30, 

 1881, was $7,604.71 ; the balance September 

 30, 1882, was $13,800.18. 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. At the close of the fis- 

 cal year there were confined in the State-Prison, 

 at Waupun, 348 persons. The total cost of 

 maintaining the prison for the year was $47,- 

 751.33, of which the prisoners' earnings fur- 

 nished $31,129.30; receipts from visitors were 

 $193.50, making the net cost to the State of 

 supporting the institution, $16,428.53. 



The number of boys in attendance at the 

 State Industrial School, at Waukesha, on Sep- 

 tember 30th, was 299 ; average attendance dur- 

 ing the year, 321. There were admitted dur- 

 ing the year 95 boys, discharged 160. 



The whole number of patients who have re- 

 ceived treatment at the State Hospital for the 

 Insane, at Mendota, during the fiscal year, was 

 656. The number discharged recovered was 

 49 ; improved, 59 ; unimproved, 56. The to- 

 tal cost of this hospital for the year was $95,- 

 648.37, being a weekly cost per capita of $3.92. 

 At the commencement of the year the North- 

 ern Hospital for the Insane had under treat- 

 ment 512 patients; admitted during the year, 

 225 ; total, 737. Of these there were discharged 

 recovered, 64 ; improved, 26 ; unimproved, 30. 

 The number present at the close of the year 

 was 564 ; average for the year, 529. The cost 

 of maintaining this hospital was $98,160.02, 

 which is equal to a weekly cost per capita of 

 $3.57. 



The whole number of pupils enrolled at the 

 Institution for the Education of the Deaf and 



Dumb, at Delavan, during the year, was 244 ; 

 of these there were present September 30, 

 1882, 182 ; average attendance during the year, 

 176. The total cost of supporting this insti- 

 tution for the year was $34,375.94, which 

 amount represents a weekly cost per capita 

 of $3.86. 



At the Institution for the Education of the 

 Blind, at Janesville, there were enrolled during 

 the year a total of 82 pupils, of whom there 

 were present on the last day of the fiscal year, 

 57 ; average attendance for the year, 63. ' The 

 total cost of supporting this institution was 

 $16,726.17, equal to a weekly cost per capita 

 of $5.11. 



INSURANCE. The valuable report of the In- 

 surance Commissioner shows that for the year 

 ending December 31, 1881, the fire-insurance 

 companies had : 



Kisks written $165,336,642 



Premiums received 1,997,243 



Losses paid 925,793 



The life-insurance companies doing business 

 in the State reported for the year ending March 

 1, 1882 : 



Policies in force $32,705,956 



Premiums received 873,143 



Losses paid 565,743 



RAILROADS. The year was one of more than 

 usual activity in railroad enterprise, both in the 

 volume of business and in the building of new 

 roads. 



The Wisconsin railroad earnings from June 

 30, 1881, to June 30, 1882, were $18,765,428.- 

 32, an increase of $3,287,255.71 for the year ; 

 being an average per mile of $5,639.16, an in- 

 crease of earnings per mile of $824.25. The 

 total cost of operating the railroads of the 

 State was $10,276,746.45, leaving as net earn- 

 ings $8,488,681.87; the operating expenses per 

 mile were $3,088.24, and the net earnings per 

 mile of operated road were $2,550.91. The 

 total number of passengers carried upon the 

 roads of the State was 3,611,973 ; equal to 162,- 

 231,759 passengers carried one mile, at an aver- 

 age cost per mile of a trifle less than 2 '83 cents. 

 There were 5,499,321 tons of freight carried ; 

 an equal of 813,414,402 tons carried one mile ; 

 and the average rate per mile on each ton car- 

 ried was a little less than 1'61 cents, which is a 

 decrease of '07 of a cent per mile on each ton 

 of freight carried. 



The Railroad-Commissioner system in Wis- 

 consin has been a success, and, while the com- 

 plaints have not been numerous, they have al- 

 ways received prompt attention. It is stated 

 that, during a long term of years, not a single 

 case of litigation has grown out of a complaint 

 lodged with the Commissioner, but in every in- 

 stance an amicable adjustment has been had, 

 satisfactory to all parties concerned. It has 

 been found much easier and better to adjust 

 than to litigate, and in this way a better spirit 

 has been developed and maintained between 

 the people and the railroad corporations. 



IMMIGRATION. By a reference to the tables 



