454 



MAINE. 



towns, and to protect the people of the State from 

 contagious diseases. 



To regulate the. sale of opium, morphine, and lauda- 

 num. 



Raising the age of consent in females from ten to 

 thirteen years. 



To prevent indirect preferences of creditors in in- 

 solvency. 



To create a State Board of Cattle Commissioners, 

 giving them power to investigate and suppress con- 

 tagious diseases among domestic animals, and provid- 

 ing safeguards against such diseases. 



To secure additional protection to the lobster-fish- 

 eries. 



Authorizing the appointment of special insurance 

 brokers. 



Providing that no more than twenty per cent, of 

 the male convicts in the State-prison shall be em- 

 ployed at any time in any industry or manufacture 

 that is carried on at that time in any other place in 

 the State. 



Making a copy of a town clerk's record admissible 

 as evidence. 



To cede to the United States jurisdiction over cer- 

 tain land in Eastport, as a site for a public building 

 at that place. 



To provide for a union railway-station at Portland. 

 Authorizing the Boston and Maine Railroad to pur- 

 chase certain other railroads in the State. 



The legislation of the session consisted of 149 

 general laws, 288 special laws, and 123 resolves. 



Finances The following is a summary of the 

 receipts and expenses of the State during the 

 year: 



Cash In treasury Jan. 1, 1887 $818,851 45 



Total receipts for 1SS7 1,101,98088 



Total $1.480,832 88 



Total expenditures for 1887 $1,168,544 30 



Cash in treasury, Dec. 81, 1S87 812,288 08 



Total $1,480,882 83 



The largest receipts were derived from the 

 State tax of 3| mills, $743,112.27 ; from county 

 taxes, $12,964.21 ; tax on railroads, $89,979.95 ; 

 tax on insurance companies, $17,294.15; and 

 savings-bank tax, $25C,429.88. Among the 

 expenditures are : For interest on the public 

 debt, $240,522.76 ; for the school fund and mill 

 tax, 1885-'86, $348,877.54; salaries of public 

 officers, $55,056.75 ; for State institutions, 

 $154,262.96. The bonded debt at the begin- 

 ning of the year consisted of bonds due June, 

 1, 1889, $2,330,000, and bonds due Oct. 1, 

 1889, $2,827,000 total, $5,157,000. At the 

 end of the year it had been reduced to the 

 following figures: Bonds due June 1, 1889, 

 $1,762,000 ; bonds due Oct. 1, 1889, $2,197,000 

 total, $3,959,000. During the same time the 

 amount of securities and cash in the sinking 

 fund had decreased from $2,110,390.57 to $949,- 

 660.64. This decrease of debt and sinking 

 fund is a result of the law requiring the treas- 

 urer to destroy all bonds of the State in that 

 fund. Securities to the amount of $1,162,000 

 were canceled during the year, in compliance 

 with this law, leaving in the fund only securi- 

 ties outside of the State of Maine; $38,479.93 

 of the interest from these securities was used 

 in the purchase of $36,000 State of Maine 

 bonds which were canceled and deducted from 

 the bonded debt. While the amount with 



which to pay the bonded debt has decreased 

 $1,160,729.93, the bonded debt has diminished 

 $1,198,000, showing a net reduction during the 

 year of $37,270.07. This reduction is $171.- 

 842.09 less than in 1886 a result caused by the 

 action of the Legislature in making the tax-rate 

 for the year one mill less than before, produc- 

 ing a decrease of $236.902.07 in the annual 

 revenue. The reduced tax-rate is 2f mills, one 

 mill of which is levied for the support of the 

 common schools. The revenue derived from 

 this tax for this year was $649,497.11. 



Prisons. The number of convicts at the State- 

 prison at Thomastown on December 1 was 165, 

 being fewer than at any report for the past 

 twelve years. One year ago there were 170. 

 All work in the prison is done on the account 

 of the State, instead of by the contract sys- 

 tem. An improvement is reported in the con- 

 dition of the county jail?. There has been a 

 decrease also in the prisoners, 33 fewer being 

 reported than in 1886. 



Insane. The Maine Insane Hospital has been 

 in operation forty-seven years, during which 

 time 7,070 patients have been admitted, and 

 6,518 discharged, leaving at the close of this 

 year 552 patients under treatment. This is an 

 increase of 24 patients over last year. The 

 year has been eventful in the direction of in- 

 creased demands for accommodations and treat- 

 ment of patients, resulting in a considerably 

 larger daily average number of inmates than 

 has heretofore existed. The percentage of re- 

 coveries during the year, based upon the num- 

 ber of admissions, is 36'28, and 10'87 upon the 

 number under treatment. 



Banks. From the Bank Examiner's report 

 for 1887 it appears that the number of savings- 

 banks in the State on November 1 was 55, or 

 one more than in 1 886 at the same time. The 

 number of depositors has increased from 114,- 

 691 in 1886 to 119,229 in 1887, and the aggre- 

 gate deposits from $37,215,071 to $38,819,643. 

 The amount of dividends paid was $1,366.504. 

 By the appraisement made in May, the banks 

 held assets valued at $5,237,004 in excess of all 

 liabilities. Eight years ago the number of de- 

 positors was 75,443, their deposits $20,978,1 30, 

 and the surplus of the banks above liabilities 

 only $1,057,976. 



Shipping. Complete returns for 1887 show 

 the number of vessels in Maine engaged in the 

 fisheries to be 448; tonnage, 15,857 - 64 a de- 

 crease of about 25 per cent, since 1885. The 

 number of new vessels of all kinds constructed 

 during the year is 38, with a tonnage of 13,- 

 335-57 tons. 



Ice. The total capacity of ice-houses in 

 Maine is as follows: Kennebec river, 1,185,- 

 500 tons; Penobscot river, 238,000 tons; Ca- 

 tliance river, 31,000 tons; coast, 512,000 tons 

 total, 1,967.000 tons. It is estimated thi:t 

 over 1,000,000 tons of ice was stored in the 

 season of 1887, of which fully 800,000 tons 

 were afterward transported out of the State, 

 chiefly to Southern ports. 



