428 



MAINE. 



2'75 mills, which restores it to where it was pre- 

 vious to 1890, it being found that the rate of 

 2-25 mills, which prevailed during that year, was 

 insufficient to meet the ordinary expenses. The 

 increase in valuation and rate caused an advance 

 in the State tax of $320,044.73, of which amount 

 $73,117.32 was returned direct to the various 

 towns for the benefit of the common schools, as 

 the amount of mill tax to be apportioned is fig- 

 ured at one mill on each dollar of valuation. 



Insurance. The twenty-fourth annual re- 

 port of the Insurance Commissioner shows that 

 there are 116 companies authorized to do a fire 

 and marine business in the State. Of these, 29 

 are Maine companies 2 stock, and the other 27 

 mutual ; 61 are stock companies of other States ; 

 4 are mutual companies of other States ; and 22 

 are companies of foreign countries. 



The amount written by the Maine mutual fire 

 insurance companies is a trifle smaller than in 

 1890. The year 1891 was the hardest on insur- 

 ance companies in Maine of any since 1886, and 

 the losses paid reached $1.099,574.25, which ex- 

 ceeded the premiums received for that year by 

 $21,608.33. 



The fire risks written by foreign licensed com- 

 panies amounted to $95,961,085.57, the premiums 

 to $1,291,798.98, and the losses paid to $795,- 

 533.07. The fire risks written by Maine mutual 

 companies amounted to $2,680,896. 



The whole amount of life business in force at 

 the end of the years 1890 and 1891 that appears 

 of record is as follows : 



The taxes paid the State by insurance compa- 

 nies doing business in Maine for the years 1887- 

 '91, and the fees for the several years, appear in 

 the following table : 



Railroads. The thirty-fourth report of Rail- 

 road Commissioners, December, 1892, shows little 

 change in the mileage of the steam railroads in 

 Maine over 1891, the total number of miles 

 now being 1,385 miles, or 208 more miles than in 

 1891. The gross transportation earnings show a 

 marked and gratifying increase, it being $118- 

 703.53 over that of 1891. 



The number of passengers carried in 1891 was 

 5,502,646. In 1892 the whole number carried 

 was 6,178,076, being an increase during the year 

 of 675,430. 



The freight traffic shows a corresponding in- 

 crease. The total number of tons of freight car- 

 ried in 1891 was 3.294,000. The total number of 

 tons carried in 1892 was 3,694,934. 



The total passenger-train mileage for the year 

 ending June 30. 1892, was 2,650,062 miles. The 

 number of passengers carried one mile was 126,- 



267,845, and the number of tons of freight carried 

 one mile was 271,319,359. 



The street railroads have gained only 6'62 

 miles, but the returns show a marked increase 

 of travel over that of 1891. 



During the past year the extension of the 

 Portland and Rumford Falls Railway from the 

 village of Gilbertville, in Canton, to Rumi'ovd 

 Palls has been completed. 



The capital stock of the Georges Valley Rail- 

 road has been increased, and the gauge changed 

 to conform to the standard. 



The location of 200 miles of the Bangor and 

 Aroostook Railroad was approved by the board 

 in May, and the entire line has been put under 

 contract. This road will extend from Brown- 

 ville, in Piscataquis County, into and through the 

 county of Aroostook via Houlton and Presque 

 Isle and Caribou, with branches from Dyer 

 Brook Plantation or vicinity to Masardis and 

 Ashland ; and from Easton to Fort Fairfield in 

 all about 200 miles. 



Steam Vessels. The report of the steamboat 

 inspectors gives the number of steam vessels on 

 the inland waters of Maine, subject to its con- 

 trol, as 100, of which 83, with an aggregate 

 tonnage of l,548'14tons, have been inspected and 

 granted certificates. Licenses have been granted 

 to 98 masters and pilots, and 102 engineers. 



Education. The statistics of the common 

 schools for 1890-'91 include the following: 

 Whole number of children of school age, 210.- 

 997, a decrease of 550 from the number reported 

 the previous year; whole number attending 

 school, 141,433, an increase of 1,757; average 

 registered attendance per term for the year, 122,- 

 766, an increase of 3,622 ; average daily attend- 

 ance, 103,062, an increase of 4,698. The average 

 school year was twenty-one weeks, less by seven 

 days than that of the year before : the number 

 of teachers employed was 7,314, of whom 782 

 were graduates of normal schools ; the average 

 wages of male teachers, excluding board. $39.90; 

 and of female teachers, $17.56. The whole num- 

 ber of schools was 4,621. a decrease of 214 since 

 the previous report ; 839 of these were graded 

 schools, and 3,782 ungraded ; 1,160 of the un- 

 graded schools had classes in studies other than 

 those prescribed by law; 504 towns received 

 free text-books, at a" cost to the State of $170.- 

 014. The total current resources were $1,211,- 

 252, and the total current expenditures, $1.163,- 

 968, leaving a balance of $47,284. The total ex- 

 penditures, of which $109,728 was for new 

 schoolhouses, were $1,485,593, and the amount 

 voted by towns for the ensuing year, $720,661. 



The decrease in the number of schools is due 

 to the consolidation of small schools. The num- 

 ber of towns and plantations that have either 

 abolished school districts or organized without 

 district divisions increased during the year from 

 127 to 142, and 111 school districts were done 

 away with. Free high schools are supported in 

 228 towns, at a total cost of $147,575, with an 

 aggregate attendance of 15,739. The Farming- 

 ton Normal School had 120 pupils at the spring 

 term and 28 graduates; that at Castine, 106 

 pupils and 23 graduates ; that at Gorham, 134 

 pupils and 52 graduates. The Madawaska Train- 

 ing School was continued for thirty-two weeks, 

 with 50 pupils the first term slnd 59 the second. 



