468 



MINNESOTA. 



William Mitchell, Daniel A. Dickenson, and 

 Charles E. Vanderburgh. 



Finances. The financial affairs of the State 

 are in a sound and prosperous condition. With 

 a population of 1,400,000, and assessed valuation 

 of $600,000,000, there is an outstanding indebt- 

 edness of only $2,154,000, subject to an annual 

 interest charge of $77,390 ; and on the last day 

 of November, 1892, there was a balance in the 

 State treasury to the credit of the different 

 funds of $1,688,946.54. The satisfactory result 

 attained in the funding of the public debt has 

 been brought about by the act authorizing the 

 3^-per-cent. bonds, and the purchase and cancel- 

 lation of the railroad adjustment bonds. The 

 State debt, which is now comparatively small, 

 will be paid off within a few years by the opera- 

 tion of the sinking fund authorized by law. 



In accordance with the law of 1885, a transfer 

 of $50,000 was made from the revenue fund to 

 the school text-book fund. Of this fund, there 

 were on July 1, 1892, $38,753.08 in cash ; unpaid 

 drafts for collection to the amount of $8,672.32; 

 making a total of $47,423.40. Loan and trust 

 companies had on deposit in the Auditor's of- 

 fice securities amounting to $1,266,211.34. The 

 permanent school fund amounts to $10,132,- 

 867.43, having increased $1,176,946.97 during 

 the fiscal years of 1891 and 1892. The average 

 price per acre of school lands sold, for all years, 

 is a little less than $6. The grant embraces sec- 

 tions 16 and 36 in every township, or a total of 

 about 3,000,000 acres. In addition to the regu- 

 lar grant for school purposes, this fund will be 

 increased by half of the proceeds of such swamp 

 lands as shall remain to the State after the vari- 

 ous grants to railroad companies and State in- 

 stitutions shall have been filled. This fund will 

 eventually amount to about $20,000,000. The 

 income is apportioned for the support of the 

 common schools. The permanent university 

 fund now amounts to $1,000,445.73, and is de- 

 rived from the sale of university lands. The 

 various grants amount to 169,353 acres. The 

 fund will eventually amount to $1,500,000. The 

 internal improvement land fund is derived from 

 the sale of lands. The original grant amounted 

 to 500,000 acres, and the total accumulations are 

 $2,612,366.92. The accumulations for the State 

 institutions land fund amount to $30.281.28. The 

 Reform School land sales amount to $365,590.50. 



Education. The State University within the 

 past ten years has grown beyond all precedent. 

 In 1882 the total attendance of students was 

 253 ; in 1892 it reached 1,374. Departments of 

 law and medicine have been established. There 

 were 453 law and medical students in attend- 

 ance in 1892. The fees charged in these depart- 

 ments are nearly sufficient to pay the salaries of 

 all the instructors. Nothing pertaining to the 

 progress and growth of the university has been 

 more marked and original than the establish- 

 ment of a school of practical agriculture, giving 

 special instruction in all that pertains to the 

 theory and practice of agriculture. In connec- 

 tion with this school is a dairy hall, ample and 

 well equipped. In 1891 the attendance was 104; 

 in 1892 it was 115. The library and assembly 

 room are in the old main building, which was so 

 injured by fire in April, 1892, that the assembly 

 room has since been unfit for use. 



Prisons. On Oct. 31, 1892, the number of 

 State convicts was smaller than on Oct. 31, 1891. 

 It was hoped and expected that the problem of 

 keeping the convicts of the Reformatory at St. 

 Cloud employed was solved, and that ample 

 work for many years to come would be found in 

 the quarries ; but, under the provisions of chap- 

 ter 112 of the general laws of 1891, only 33 per 

 cent, of the convicts can be employed in quarry- 

 ing and preparing granite for sale. The re- 

 mainder of the convicts, if engaged in granite 

 work at all, can only be employed in quarrying 

 and cutting stone for public buildings of the 

 State, and for walls and improvements on the 

 grounds of the Reformatory. The manufacture 

 of twine has been successfully established at the 

 State Prison, and has met with much favor 

 among the agricultural population. 



The Soldiers' Home. This institution is 

 supported by the Soldiers' Relief Fund, which is 

 derived from a tax of one tenth of a mill on all 

 the property of the State. At the beginning of 

 the fiscal year there was a balance from the pre- 

 ceding year of $24,407.84, and there will be 

 derived from the tax levy of 1893 the sum of 

 $59,558.85, thus giving a total available fund of 

 $83,966.69 for the current fiscal year. During 

 the fiscal year ending July 31, 1892, only $39,- 

 370.42 out of this fund was expended. 



Constitutional Amendment. A constitu- 

 tional amendment prohibiting special legislation 

 was adopted. 



Grain Elevators and Inspection. In 1885 

 the Legislature enacted a law for the purpose of 

 regulating and controlling the weighing, grad- 

 ing, and inspection of grain at the terminal 

 points of St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth, and 

 for regulating and controlling grain elevators 

 and warehouses at those places. That portion 

 of the law relating to weighing, grading, and 

 inspection has been utilized and put into suc- 

 cessful operation. All that handle grain at 

 these terminal points avail themselves of this 

 feature of the law. Although the fees for the 

 service are small, yet the department is more 

 than self-sustaining, and has a large surplus on 

 hand, as appears from the following comparative, 

 statement, showing earnings, expenses, and bal- 

 ances for the several years since its establish- 

 ment. 



Building and Loan Associations. There 



are in the State fifteen building and loan associ- 

 ations, with resources amounting to $8,466,812.- 

 58. The increase in the assets and liabilities 

 since June 30, 1890, has amounted to $2,443,- 

 867.43. 



Banks. A large increase in the number of 

 banks organized under the State law during the 

 past two years is seen. On July 31, 1890, there 

 were 76, and on July 31, 1892, 117. A sum- 

 mary of 93 State bank's, July -9, 1891, showed re- 



