518 



MONTANA. 



Raising the age of consent in females from ten to 

 fifteen years. 



Amending the school law by providing that the 

 district clerks shall be appointed by the board of 

 trustees instead of elected by the people ; that any 

 moneys in the general fund to the credit of any dis- 

 trict, after providing for eight months' school, may, 

 on vote of the district, be applied to building pur- 

 poses ; that appointments by county superintendents 

 to fill vacancies shall henceforth only hold until the 

 next annual school election. 



To prevent contagious diseases among sheep. 



Requiring the use of safety cages and iron bonnets 

 thereon in all mining-shafts of the depth of 300 feet 

 or over. 



Making cheating a felony. 



Authorizing the county commissioners to issue 

 bonds to redeem outstanding indebtedness. 



Regulating the sale of poisonous drugs. 



Relieving litigants in civil cases in district courts 

 from the payment of jurors' fees. 



Authorizing the commissioners of Lewis and Clarke 

 County to issue $40,000 additional bonds to complete 

 a county court-house. 



Preventing diseased animals from running at large 

 on the ranges. 



A part of the legislation of this session 

 proved to be so carelessy framed that Gov. 

 Leslie summoned an extra session. Amend- 

 ments were needed to the revenue law, which 

 had been so drawn that, while all former reve- 

 nue acts were repealed, the new law could not 

 take effect till the office of attorney-general 

 for the Territory had been created, such an of- 

 ficer being designated as one of the members 

 of the Territorial Board of Equalization there- 

 in established. Deprived of a revenue law in 

 this way, and consequently of all means of 

 levying taxes, the Territory at the same time 

 found itself threatened with bankruptcy from 

 another cause. The bounty law, as amended 

 by the legislators of this year, after reducing 

 the bounties formerly fixed, increased the list 

 of bounty animals by offering ten cents for 

 each prairie-dog killed, and five cents for each 

 ground-squirrel. The result was that, while 

 the Territory had previously been paying from 

 $11,000 to $13,000 a year for bounties, it had 

 expended, between January and September of 

 this year, for that purpose, over $48,000, of 

 which over $41,000 was for prairie-dogs and 

 ground-squirrels. " Already, and for several 

 weeks past," says the Governor in his message, 

 " every dollar in the treasury has been paid out, 

 and the Territory is now going in debt every 

 day for killing squirrels, prairie-dogs, wolves, 

 etc., and interest is accumulating upon that 

 indebtedness." At the same time loopholes 

 had been discovered in the license laws, and, as 

 by one act the Legislature had made gambling 

 a felony, and by another provided that it shall 

 be licensed, the attitude of the law-making 

 power upon this subject was not entirely clear. 

 The session continued from August 29 till Sep- 

 tember 14, and resulted in the entire repeal of 

 the bounty laws, and in the passage of an act 

 creating the office of attorney-general, but 

 nothing was done with the license laws. Other 

 acts were as follow : 



Defining' the qualifications of voters in cities. 



Defining a disturbance of the peace. 



To punish interference with railroad-tracks. 



To create Cascade County. 



Providing for the observance of Arbor Day. 



To create a school text-book commission. 



Amending the revenue law. 



Enabling cities having a valuation of $1,200,000 or 

 over, to incur indebtedness for public improvements 

 to the extent of two per cent, ot their valuation. 



Population. The increase of population for 

 this year is placed at 10,000, making the total 

 number of people in the Territory about 130,- 

 000. These are gathered from all quarters of 

 the world, and represent nearly every race and 

 people. The year has witnessed the founda- 

 tion and growth of many prosperous towns in 

 all parts of the Territory. Increased railroad 

 facilities, which have been recently established, 

 will insure even more rapid development in the 

 next few years. 



Finances. The following statement shows 

 the condition of the treasury at the beginning 

 of the year, and its operations during the last 

 biennial period : 



Receipts for the two years ending Dec. 81, 188G. $384,132 Cl 

 Balance Jan. 1, 1885 5,237 9 



Total $389,87020 



Disbursements for two years ending Doc. 81, 

 18S6 282,101 02 



Balance Jan. 1, 1887 $57,269 18 



The receipts were from the following 

 sources : 



Licenses and property-tax $828,889 97 



Insurance fees 2,800 00 



Fees for recording marks and brands 2,068 00 



Fees for notaries' commissions, etc 874 64 



Total $834,182 61 



The disbursements were as follow : 



Criminal expenses $121,061 19 



Insane 88,741 90 



Bounty for killing animals 25,439 00 



Salaries and other expenses 46,858 93 



Total $282,101 02 



Warrants outstanding amount to $2,057 00 



There is no bonded indebtedness. 



Education. The public schools are supported 

 by direct county and district taxes, and penal 

 fines for violation of Territorial laws. County 

 taxes can not be less than three mills nor more 

 than five mills per dollar on the valuation of 

 all taxable property, but districts may vote ad- 

 ditional taxes for building, apparatus, and sala- 

 ries of teachers. The amount of school-money 

 raised by direct taxation during the last year 

 was $223,871, and from fines in various courts 

 $6,466, making for the public schools $230,337. 

 The number of school-children increased dur- 

 ing the past year from 16,626 to 20,193, and 

 twenty -three new districts were organized. But 

 the amount raised for the support of schools 

 did not keep pace with the increase of districts 

 or of pupils, the increase being only $12,461. 

 Still there were forty more teachers employed, 

 and the average length of school in days was 

 increased by ten, and twenty-three new school- 



