658 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



abolishing the requirement of paying a State 

 or county tax within two years, and by reduc- 

 ing the length of residence necessary to vote in 

 any election district from two months to thirty 

 days. The second declares that " the manu- 

 facture, sale, and keeping for sale of intoxicat- 

 ing liquor, to be used as a beverage, is hereby 

 prohibited, and any violation of this prohibition 

 shall be a misdemeanor punishable as shall be 

 provided by law." 



Finances. The report of the Auditor-General 

 shows the total receipts of the treasury for the 

 year to be $7,646,147.37", and the total expend- 

 itures $7,366,763.47. The balance on hand No- 

 vember 30, 1886, was $2,101,457.57, and at the 

 same time in 1887, $2,380,841.47. The princi- 

 pal receipts are from the following sources: 

 from taxes on corporation stock, $1,702,057.04 ; 

 gross receipts, corporations, $766,388.12 ; gross 

 premiums, $42,619.39 ; banks, safe deposits, 

 etc., $431,628.14; net earnings, $81,596.92; 

 loans, $161,054.75 ; personal property, $864,- 

 355.36; writs, wills, deeds, etc., $117,495.89; 

 collateral inheritance, $763,871.57; foreign in- 

 surance companies, $377,571.63 ; tavern li- 

 censes, $565,163.67 ; eating-house licenses, 

 $90,989.01 ; wholesale liquor licenses, $39,- 

 821.29 ; brewers' licenses, $15,446.69; bottlers' 

 licenses, $9,140.25 ; retailers' licenses, $405,- 

 105 ; billiard licenses, $29,845.98 ; broker li- 

 censes, $20,893.38 ; auctioneers' licenses, $9,- 

 004.67; peddlers 1 licenses, $3,064.76; theatre 

 and circus licenses, $14,025.37; bonus on char- 

 ters, $148,624.56 ; Allegheny Valley Railroad, 

 $212,500; United States Government, $172,- 

 000 ; commutation of tonnage tax, $460,000. 

 The expenditures include expenses for State 

 government, $1,938,619.20; loans redeemed, 

 $1,418,511 ; interest on loans, $720,277; pre- 

 miums on loans redeemed, $223,384.50 ; Penn- 

 sylvania State College, $17,750 ; charitable 

 institutions, $780,219.11 ; penitentiaries, $138,- 

 974 ; Huntingdon Eeformatory, $125,000 ; 

 House of Eefuge, Philadelphia, $75,000 ; Mor- 

 ganza Reform School, $30,040.03 ; Second Geo- 

 logical Survey, $30,500 ; Soldiers' Home, $70,- 

 000; Soldiers' Orphans' Schools, $351,964.19; 

 Common Schools, $1,171,811.55; National 

 Guard of Pennsylvania, $204,605.22. 



The following statement shows the condi- 

 tion of the public debt at the beginning and 

 end of the fiscal year: 



Total public debt. Nov. 30. 1836 $1 7,258,982 28 



Assets in the sinking fund 10,180,716 46 



Leaving unprovided for $7,078,235 82 



PUBLIC DEBT STATEMENT, NOV. 30, 1887. 



Non-interest beariuar debt $113,657 00 



Overdue loans upon which interest has been 



stopped 84,213 86 



Debt bearing interest 15,692,600 00 



Total debt $15,840,741 28 



Total assets in sinking fund 10,684,362 43 



Balance $5,156,198 85 



Debt unprovided for Nov. 30, 1886 $7,078,235 82 



Debt unprovided for Nov. 80, 1887 6,156,108 85 



Amount of reduction of debt in 1887 $1,925,126 97 



Education. The State Superintendent of Pub- 

 lic Schools reports an increase in the number 

 of pupils during the last school year, exclusive 

 of Philadelphia, of 9,235. The total number 

 of pupils enrolled is now over 1,000,000. Fif- 

 teen new school districts formed during the 

 year have increased the total number to 2,281. 

 The number of schools is 21,062, an increase 

 of 379, of which 9,444 are graded, an increase 

 of 357. Four superintendents have been added 

 to the work of school supervision, making the 

 present number 115. The increase in the num- 

 ber of teachers has been 519 ; male teachers 

 340, and female teachers 179, making the pres- 

 ent total 23,822. The average monthly salary 

 of male teachers is $38.53, and of female teach- 

 ers $29.86. The length of the school term is 

 steadily advancing, being now 7.75 months. 



Decisions. The United States Supreme Court 

 in May delivered an opinion, declaring that part 

 of the State tax-law unconstitutional which im- 

 posed a tax upon the gross receipts of compa- 

 nies engaged in interstate transportation, the 

 ground being that such an act was a regulation 

 of interstate commerce. But this decision is 

 not considered as invalidating the tax upon the 

 capital stock or property of such companies 

 organized in the State. 



The constitutionality of the oleomargarine 

 law of 1885 was also passed upon during the 

 year, and sustained by a majority of the State 

 Supreme Court. 



Political. The only State officers to be voted 

 for at the November election were a treasurer 

 and a judge of the Supreme Court. The Re- 

 publican Convention at Harrisburg, on August 

 17, nominated William B. Hart for the former 

 office and Henry W. Williams for the latter. 

 A platform was adopted favoring protection, 

 enlargement of the Federal pension-list, and 

 Federal aid for American shipping, condemn- 

 ing Southern outrages, and urging the nomina- 

 tion of James G. Elaine by the National Con- 

 vention in 1888. It also declares : 



That they the Kepublicans] reaffirm their declara- 

 tion of 1886 in favor of submitting to a vote of the 

 people the prohibitory constitutional amendment. We 

 also indorse the action of the last Legislature in the 

 submission of the amendment making suffrage free 

 by abolishing the tax-qualification for a vote. 



We approve the action of the Legislature touching 

 the revenue of the Commonwealth in diverting a large 

 portion of the direct State tax and the receipts from 

 licenses to the treasuries of the different cities and 

 counties, and especially indorse that part of the gen- 

 eral revenue bill which continued to impose the sup- 

 port of the State government upon the corporations 

 of the Commonwealth, and brought within the pur- 

 view of the law for taxation a large amount of moneys 

 at interest in the hands of corporations not previously 

 reached. We believe that a new bill, perfecting these 

 features, should be matured by the commission charged 

 with that duty, with a view of having it submitted to 

 the present Legislature for enactment in time to meet 

 the assessment of next year, provided the Governor 

 shall deem the calling of an extra session for this pur- 

 pose such an extraordinary occasion as is contemplated 

 by the twelfth section of the fourth article of the Con- 

 stitution. 



We give unqualified indorsement to the Kepublican 

 State administration. By careful and conscientious 



