CALIFORNIA. 



85 



and allowing it to ooze up and collect. It is a 

 dark, heavy liquid, like the Baku product 

 when the wells there were worked in the same 

 way. There are other parts of Upper Kurmah 

 where oil of the same kind is obtained by the 

 same process. Great expectations are enter- 



tained regarding the petroleum-fields of Upper 

 Burraah, yet nothing is yet known of the depth 

 of bore necessary to reach a flow of oil, of the 

 strata of rock, of the probable productivity of 

 the wells, or of the quality of the oil when ob- 

 tained by scientific methods from below. 



C 



CALIFORNIA. State Government, The follow- 

 ing were the State officers at the beginning of 

 the year: Governor, Washington Bartlett, 

 Democrat; Lieutenant-Governor, R. W. Wa- 

 terman, Republican; Secretary of State, W. 0. 

 Hendricks, Democrat ; Treasurer, Adam Her- 

 old, Democrat; Comptroller, J. P. Dunn, 

 Democrat ; Attorney-General, G. A. Johnson, 

 Democrat ; Surveyor-General, Theodore Reich- 

 ert, Republican ; Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, Ira G. Hoitt, Republican ; State En- 

 gineer, William H. Hall, Democrat ; Railroad 

 Commissioners, A. Abbott, P. J. White, J. W. 

 Rea; Supreme Court: Chief- Justice, Robert 

 F. Morrison ; Associate Justices, E. W. Mc- 

 Kinstry, J. D. Thornton, J. R. Sharpstein, 

 Jackson Temple, T. B. McFarland, A. Van R. 

 Patterson. The death of Chief-Justice Mor- 

 rison in March, caused a vacancy on the su- 

 preme bench, which was filled by the appoint- 

 ment of Miles Searle. On Sept. 12, Governor 

 Bartlett died, and the State government again 

 came into the hands of the Republicans, by the 

 promotion of Lieutenant-Governor Waterman. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature assembled 

 Jan. 3, and adjourned March 12. One of its 

 earliest acts was the election of George Hearst, 

 Democrat, to be United States Senator for six 

 years, by a vote of 65 against 52 for Henry 

 Vroornan. The measures of prime importance 

 discussed at this session related to the disposi- 

 tion of mining debris, and to irrigation. Leg- 

 islation was had on the latter subject only. 

 As the Supreme Court of the State had decided 

 in favor of the ownership of the riparian pro- 

 prietor in the streams of the State, the irriga- 

 tion problem consisted in devising some means 

 of permitting the withdrawal of water without 

 violating that right. It was enacted that 

 " whenever fifty or a majority of freeholders 

 owning lands susceptible of one mode of irri- 

 gation, from a common source, and by the same 

 system of works, desire to provide for the irri- 

 gation of the same, they may propose the or- 

 ganization of an irrigation district." An elec- 

 tion shall then be held, in which the voters of 

 the proposed district decide whether such dis- 

 trict shall, in fact, be organized. If the pro- 

 posal is favored, certain district officers and a 

 board of directors are chosen for a term of 

 two years. The board of directors shall have 

 the right to acquire, either by purchase or by 

 condemnation, according to law, all lands and 

 waters and other property necessary for the con- 

 struction, use, supply, repair, or improvement 

 of canals, or other works needful for irriga- 



tion purposes. It shall have power to manage 

 and conduct the business of the district, make 

 all necessary contracts, take conveyances, 

 maintain suits at law or in equity to carry out 

 its powers, and generally to accomplish the 

 purpose of the act by constructing canals, ap- 

 portioning the flow of water, and otherwise. 

 It may issue bonds of the district in payment 

 for lands or waters purchased or taken. These 

 bonds shall be paid by an annual assessment 

 on the real property of the district. The use 

 of all water required for irrigation in any such 

 organized district, together with the rights of 

 way for canals and other property required 

 for the purpose of this act is declared to be a 

 public use. Under this act several districts 

 were created during the year, but no test of its 

 constitutionality has yet been made. 



Another important measure authorizes the 

 annual levy of a tax of one cent on each $100 

 of property, for the exclusive support and im- 

 provement of the University of California, the 

 money thus collected to be called the State 

 University fund. 



The insurance laws were extensively 

 amended in matters of detail, and numerous 

 changes made in the organization and regula- 

 tion of the militia. The uniformed militia of 

 the State is named the National Guard of Cali- 

 fornia, and is not to exceed fifty companies. 



An act regulating the hours of labor fixes 

 eight hours as a day's work, unless otherwise 

 stipulated by the parties. Twelve hours of la- 

 bor, shall, however, constitute a day's work 

 for drivers, conductors, and grip-men, on street- 

 cars, and any contract for longer hours shall 

 be void at the option of the employe. 



Towns, cities, and municipal corporations, 

 are permitted to issue bonds and incur indebt- 

 edness for extensive public improvements only 

 when two thirds of the legislative branch of 

 the town or city and the executive thereof 

 approve and two thirds of the voters at a spe- 

 cial election signify their assent. 



The laws regulating government of counties 

 and the duties of county officers were also 

 thoroughly revised. 



An appropriation of $5,000 was made for a 

 monument to James W. Marshall, the discov- 

 erer of gold in California, to be erected at his 

 grave in Coloma, Eldorado County. Other 

 acts were as follow : 



To prevent fraud and imposition in the matter of 

 stamping and labeling produce and manufactured goods. 



Appropriating $250,000 for the erection of addi- 

 tional buildings for the chronic insane. 



