VERMONT. 



795 



joining tLe world's system. In 1883 there were 

 sent 34,290 Government and 135,281 private 

 messages, the latter producing 168,432 francs. 

 On Jan. 4, 1884, the Government of Vene- 

 zuela made a contract with Mr. L. Rohl, which 

 grants him permission to establish cable com- 

 munication between the republic and the 

 United States. The contract was signed for 

 twenty years, upon condition that the first 

 cable must be in operation by Jan. 4, 1886. 



Telephones. The telephone service at Caracas 

 has 250 regular subscribers, and thence La 

 Guayra can be spoken to. The Intercontinental 

 Telephone Company has secured the privilege 

 of providing several cities with telephones. 



Postal Service. There are subordinate to the 

 general post-office at the capital 19 chief post- 

 offices in the States and Territories, and 140 

 minor offices. The items of domestic mail- 

 matter summed up in 1883 altogether 2,673,- 

 403, at a total cost of 805,608 francs, out of 

 which the Postal Union received 28,453 francs. 



Foreign Steamship Lines. Eight lines of ocean- 

 steamships are established between Venezue- 

 lan ports and the United States and Europe, 

 two of which navigate under the French flag, 

 two under the British, one is German, two are 

 Spanish, and one is American. 



Commerce. The imports and exports in 1873 

 and 1883 were as follow: 



American Trade. The imports into the United 

 States from Venezuela, and exports thence, 

 for five years, were as follow : 



VERMONT. State Government. The following 

 were the State officers during the year : Gov- 

 ernor, John L. Barstow, succeeded by Samuel 

 E. Pingree, Republicans; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Samuel E. Pingree, succeeded by Ebenezer J. 

 Ormsbee ; Secretary of State, George Nichols, 

 succeeded by Charles W. Porter; Treasurer,. 

 William H. Dubois ; Auditor, E. H. Powell ; 

 Inspector of Finance, Charles Dewey, succeed- 

 ed by Carroll S. Page ; Railroad Commissioner, 

 Wayne Bailey ; Commissioner of Taxes, W. P. 

 Dillingham ; Superintendent of Education, Jus- 

 tus Dartt. Supreme Court : Chief Judge, Ho- 

 mer E. Royce ; Assistant Judges, Timothy P. 

 Redfield (succeeded by William H. Walker), 

 Jonathan Ross, H. Henry Powers, Wheelock G. 

 Veazey, Russell S. Taft, and John W. Rowell. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature met on 

 the 1st of October and adjourned on the 26th 

 of November. On the 14th of October Justin 

 S. Morrill, Republican, was re-elected United 

 States Senator. There were passed 137 acts 

 of a public character, besides special acts. Of 

 the work of the session a local reviewer says : 



Several progressive and beneficent measures, moral 

 and material, of far-reaching consequence tot he State. 

 were proposed. Most of them have been either killed 

 outright or their strength and vigor destroyed. Many 

 measures of trivial importance, or of limited applica- 

 tion, or of local and selfish interest, have prevailed. 

 No measure of a distinctive general character, inti- 

 mately affecting the public weal, has been passed 

 which will, like the act of 1880 to equalize taxation, 

 or of 1882 to provide a revenue for iState expenses, 

 serve to commemorate the deeds of the General As- 

 sembly of 1884. Some of its more conspicuous acts are 

 tl;at relating to the property-rights of married women, 

 a measure considerably changed by amendments in 

 the House from the form in which it originally passed 

 the Senate ; the act, after more than a decade of per- 

 sistent refusal, to provide the means of preserving the 

 State Library ; the act placing trust companies on the 

 same basis with savings-banks as to the limitations 

 and restrictions placed upon their management ; the 

 act for the efficient protection of the fish in Lake 

 Champlain ; and the highway bill. The Legislature has 

 appropriated money with a prodigal hand. A local- 

 option liquor-license bill, and a bill conferring on 

 women, under certain circumstances, the right to vote 

 at town elections, were defeated in the House. 



Financial. At the close of the fiscal year, Aug. 

 1, 1884, the State liabilities were as follow : 



Due towns, surplus fund $13 897 62 



Due soldiers, unpaid balance 8,803 60 



Due suspense account (outstanding checks) .... 1,940 24 



Due Agricultural College fund 185,500 00 



Due temporary loan of 1882 50,310 37 



Total $209,951 83 



And the assets were as follow : 



Cash on hand and In bank $18,149 46 



Balance of corporation tax (unpaid) payable in 

 August 75,000 00 



Total $93,149 46 



Only the loan of 1882 is subject to be paid 

 presently, $50,310.37, showing an excess of 

 available assets over liabilities of $42,839.09. 



All the corporations and persons reached 

 by the corporation tax law, with a single ex- 

 ception, made the returns required by the law, 

 and taxes were assessed during the calendar 

 year 1883 as follow : 



Express companies $1,878 71 



Telegraph companies 597 60 



Telephone companies 504 58 



Steamboat, Car, and Transportation Company. . 7,913 26 



Railroads 85.516 96 



Savings-banks 52,771 76 



Trust companies 80,507 67 



Home insurance companies 6. 7 68 85 



Foreign insurance companies . 13,355 69 



Making a total for the year $199,387 07 



All which was paid into the treasury except 

 $2,658.56, making the amount received by the 

 Treasurer $196,678.51. Of this amount the 

 sum of $56,506.70 was paid under protest. 



Relative to the "Huntington fund," Govern- 

 or Pingree says : 



Also there stands another important trust in the 

 hands of the State not heretofore among these high, 



