GEORGIA. 



351 



Oct. 1, 1884, $148,100.76. This last sum was 

 in actual cash ; former balances included bonds 

 and coupons paid off and held as cash. The 

 rate of taxation has been reduced from five mills 

 in 1873 to three mills. The bonded debt Oct. 

 1, 1882, was $9,624,135 ; Oct. 1, 1883, $9,454,- 

 635; Oct. 1, 1884, $8,704,635; a total reduc- 

 tion of $919,500. The interest on the debt 

 for 1883 was $645,440 ; for 1884, $633,495.40 ; 

 for 1885 it will be $582,121 ; a total reduction 

 of $63,319. The Governor, in his message to 

 the Legislature, says : 



An important duty which will claim your attention 

 is the provision for payment or funding of the bonds 

 maturing in the years 1885 and 1886, other than the 

 8 per cent, bonds which are provided for by existing 

 law. There are three classes of these bonds : Of the 

 4 per cent, bonds issued underact of Deo. 14, 1878, and 

 due Jan., 1885, $58,135. The 6 per cent, bonds, issued 

 under act of Feb. 27, 1856, and due February, 1886, 

 $126,000, and $150,000 due August, 1886; 7 per cent, 

 bonds with mortgage on Western and Atlantic Kail- 

 road, issued under act of March 12, 1866, and due 

 July 1, 1886, $3,525,500. The payment of balance 

 due from the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia 

 Railroad Company, on the purchase of the Macon 

 and Brunswick Railroad, extinguished $610,000 of the 

 foregoing, as follows: $557,500 of 7 per cent., $138,- 

 400 of 6 per cent., and $40,100 of the 4 per cent, bonds, 

 leaving $3,249,635 outstanding. 



The conditions under which we are called upon to 

 provide for these bonds are exceptionably favorable. 

 Our debt is being steadily and rapidly reduced, while 

 the resources of tne State are steadily increasing. The 

 admirable provisions of the Constitution forbidding 

 the increase of the bonded debt and requiring the pay- 

 ment of $100,000 of principal annually (or the setting 



cation of the proceeds of the sales of public property 

 to the bonded debt, invite confidence in our fanances. 



He recommends the issue of thirty-year 5 

 per cent, bonds, and says : 



There has been a stead v increase in the annual re- 

 turn of property for ad- valorem taxation. The aggre- 

 gate in 1879 was $234,459,548 for 1884 was $317,- 

 074,271, an increase of $82,615,723. 



On the subject of uniformity of rate in taxa- 

 tion, the Governor says : 



The citizens of Atlanta were assessed for city pur- 

 poses, in 1884, on real estate, to the amount of $21,- 

 116,208, and returned in personalty $8,933,982^-an 

 aggregate of $30,050,250. Fulton County, comprising 

 all the people and property of Atlanta, and many 

 thousands of prosperous population, and millions of 

 property in addition, returned under our loose sys- 

 tem $17,801,345 realty, and $12,934,820 in personalty 

 an aggregate of $30,736,165. The citizens of Savan- 

 nah were assessed, for city purposes, on realty in 1884, 

 upon $12,516,202, and returned personalty to the 

 amount of $7,145,112 an aggregate of $19,661,314: 

 while the county of Chatham returned for State and 

 county purposes, in 1884, $10,513,054 in realty, and 

 $9,924,929 in personalty an aggegate of $20,437,983. 

 The citizens of Augusta were assessed, for city pur- 

 poses, the present year, on real estate alone, to the 

 amount of $11,305,860. The same citizens returned 

 for State and county taxation, for the same year, real 

 estate to the amount of $8,126,250. 



New Capitol. The last Legislature appropri- 

 ated $1,000,000 for a new and permanent Capi- 

 tol, and the work is now in progress. The 

 contract price is $862,756.75. The chief stone- 



work will be of oolitic limestone, with Geor- 

 gia granite for the foundation and base course, 

 and marble for interior work. 



Education. In 1873 the number of white pu- 

 pils enrolled was 63,922, and colored 19,755, a 

 total of 83,671. Each succeeding year marked 

 an increase. In 1883 the enrollment had risen 

 to 175,668 white and 111,743 colored, a total 

 of 287,411. The average attendance in 1874 

 was 85,839, and in 1883 was 188,371. The 

 amount of the school fund of 1883 was $465,- 

 808.35. 



The entire expenses, throughout the State, 

 including sums paid to county school commis- 

 sioners, amounted to $29,687.39, about 6-fc- of 1 

 per cent, of the whole amount leaving about 

 93f per cent, of the fund which was paid to 

 the teachers. 



The school fund of 1884 has not been ascer- 

 tained definitely, but the State School Commis- 

 sioner estimates it to be about $483,633.11. 

 He also assumes the enrollment for 1884 to be 

 300,000, and average attendance 190,000. The 

 cities and counties, under local laws, raised by 

 taxation in 1883, $147,838.73 making the en- 

 tire public - school fund from all sources, for 

 that year, $608,172.86. The amount from all 

 sources, received by county officials for dis- 

 bursement for school purposes since the pres- 

 ent system was inaugurated, is $3,705,206.07. 



In the several departments of the State Uni- 

 versity at Athens, 204 students matriculated 

 during the year ; in Franklin College, 127 ; in 

 the State College of Agriculture and the Me- 

 chanic Arts, 66 ; in the law department nine, 

 and post-graduates two ; in the medical depart- 

 ment at Augusta, 122; in North Georgia Agri- 

 cultural College, 146 ; in South Georgia Agri- 

 cultural College, 130; in Southwest Georgia 

 Agricultural College 106; in Middle Georgia 

 Military and Agricultural College, 390. Total 

 in the university and the branch colleges, 1,091. 

 The report of the Financial Committee shows 

 that there were received during the last colle- 

 giate year, including $8,553.41 on hand July 9, 

 1883, $53,375.90. During the same period, 

 there were expended $43,696.54 leaving a bal- 

 ance, July 5, 1884, of $9,679.36. 



Lnnatie Asylum. The number of patients in 

 the Lunatic Asylum on Oct. 1, 1884, was 1,- 

 227 ; white males, 422 ; white females, 466 ; 

 colored males, 174, and colored females, 165. 

 The number on Oct. 1, 1882, was 974, show- 

 ing an increase during two years of 248. The 

 average number under treatment, during the 

 past year, was 1,179; whole number treated, 

 1,550. Average cost per annum of each pa- 

 tient, $126.90. 



The work of enlargement of the asylum has 

 progressed as rapidly as practicable. The build- 

 ing for colored patients, containing about 500 

 rooms, has been occupied for several months. 

 The convalescent building for females is near 

 completion, and considerable progress has been 

 made on that for males. These buildings will 

 accommodate, perhaps, 1,500 patients. 



