86 



CALIFORNIA. 



To encourage and provide for the dissemination of 

 a knowledge of the arts, sciences, and general litera- 

 ture, and the founding, maintaining, and perpetuating 

 public libraries, museums, and galleries of art, and 

 the receipt of donations and contributions thereto 

 when established. 



To prohibit the sophistication and adulteration of 

 wine, and to prevent fraud in the manufacture and 

 sale thereof. 



To authorize certain officials of cities to levy taxes 

 for the maintenance of public parks of over ten acres 

 within their respective limits. 



To provide lor permanent improvements at the 

 California Home for the care ana training of feeble- 

 minded children ; also an act to provide tor the gov- 

 ernment and management of said Home. 



To grant to the United States certain tide-lands, be- 

 longing to the State of California, for the purpose of 

 improving the harbor of Humboldt Bay. 



To provide for the completion of all unfinished 

 connty, city, city and county, town, and township 

 buildings in the several counties, cities, and counties, 

 cities, and towns throughout the State. 



To enlarge the county of San Benito, by including 

 therein portions of the counties of Fresno and Merced ; 

 to redefine the boundaries of Del Morte and Siskiyou 

 counties. 



To protect life and property against the careless 

 and malicious use or handling of dynamite and other 

 explosives. 



To authorize executors and administrators to make 

 mortgages and leases of the real estate of decedents in 

 certain ways. 



For the better protection of settlers on the public 

 land of the United States within the Stute of Califor- 

 nia, and for the protection and encouragement of per- 

 sons desirous of settling thereon. 



To amend the law relating to Dcechanics' liens. 

 Regulating the use of trade-marks. 



To regulate the vocation of fishing, and to provide 

 therefrom revenue for the restoration and preserva- 

 tion of fish in the waters of the State, requinng every 

 person engaged in such vocation on the public waters 

 of the State, who shall use a boat and net, to obtain a 

 license for such fishing. 



Appropriating $10,000 to prevent the introduction 

 of contagious and infectious diseases. 



Providing for the incorporation of any church or 

 other religious association. 



Constitutional Amendments. Three amendments 

 to the State Constitution were submitted by this 

 Legislature and voted upon by the people at an 

 election held April 12. Two of these, relating 

 to the Supreme Court of the State, failed of 

 adoption. The third and successful amend- 

 ment gives to cities containing a population 

 of over 10,000 the same right to frame their 

 own charter as that enjoyed under the Consti- 

 tution by San Francisco and other cities of 

 over 100,000 inhabitants. This right is exer- 

 cised by the election of 15 freeholders of the 

 city, who submit, a draft of a charter, which 

 must be approved by a majority of the voters 

 of the city, voting at a general or special elec- 

 tion, and by a majority of the State Legisla- 

 ture, before becoming law. 



Finances In accordance with a provision of 

 the Legislature of 1883, a portion of the State 

 debt, represented by the State Capitol bonds of 

 1872, amounting to $250,000, and maturing 

 July 1 of this year, was discharged at that 

 time. This payment reduced the bonded in- 

 debtedness of the State to $2,703,500, of 

 which the sum of $2,698,00) in funded-debt 



bonds of 1873 is interest-bearing. These 

 bonds, with the exception of $334,000 held by 

 individuals, are all held in trust by the State 

 treasurer for the support of the common 

 schools and for the State University. They 

 mature in 1893, and bear 6 per cent, interest. 



The Controller's report shows that the 

 State expenditures for the thirty-sixth and 

 thirty-seventh fiscal years exceeded the two pre- 

 ceding years by $2,622,591.74, necessitating an 

 increase in the rate of taxation from 45 '2 cents 

 in 1884, to 56 cents in 1886. Yet, even at this 

 increased rate the disbursements for the last 

 two fiscal years exceeded the receipts by $374,- 

 135.37. No less than fifty deficiency bills 

 were passed by the Legislature of this year, as 

 a result of this over-expenditure in various de- 

 partments. The same body directed a levy of 

 $9,800,000 by taxation for the thirty-ninth and 

 fortieth fiscal years, as against $8,152,512 for 

 two previous years. 



The long-continued dispute between the 

 State and the railroads, over the payment of 

 taxes, is still unsettled. A test case, which 

 was appealed to the United States Supreme 

 Court in 1885 to determine the constitutionality 

 of the assessment, was advanced upon the cal- 

 endar, and heard in the latter part of that year. 

 A decision adverse to the State was then given 

 on a technical point raised by the defendants, 

 leaving the main issues still to be decided. At 

 the beginning of this year the State claimed 

 from the Central and Southern Pacific roads 

 and their branches, the sura of $2,347,618.59 

 in unpaid taxes. Of this sum $416,252.28 are 

 due for the years 1880, 1881, and 1882; for 

 1883, $222,251.23 of the sum of $555,628.46 

 assessed are yet unpaid; for 1884 the assess- 

 ment was $653,373.12, of which the sum of 

 $323,852.49 is due; for 1885 and 1886 nothing 

 has been paid, the taxes for these years being 

 $720,703.31 and $664,559.18 respectively. A 

 suit brought in the State Superior Court to 

 collect the taxes for 1886 was decided in May 

 against the State, on the ground that the pro- 

 vision of the State code prescribing a form of 

 complaint to be used by the people to recover 

 railroad taxes was unconstitutional. The rail- 

 roads have thus far successfully evaded all at- 

 tempts to force payment, and the State suffers 

 great inconvenience and loss by this withhold- 

 ing of nearly 5 per cent, of her revenue. 



Development. The Governor, in his message 

 at the beginning of the year, says : " The mani- 

 fold industrial, mechanical, and commercial 

 interests of the State are in a highly-prosper- 

 ous condition; immigration is pouring in, prop- 

 erty values are being enhanced, rich resources 

 developed, and fields for labor are multiply- 

 ing." 



The following figures will show the condition 

 of the chief industries : The product of wheat 

 for 1886 is estimated at 1,070,000 tons ; the 

 total production of wool for 1886 was 47,225,- 

 160 pounds. This staple has shown some 

 fluctuation in the last few years, the total for 



