Misson;i. 



473 



Taxes. Tho assessed valuation of property in 

 thr State on June 1, 1890, was IH??,?^,'.;?!*, <m 

 which tin- State revenue lax fur isl was at the 

 rate ..f '!) cents on (lie $100 valuation, amoinit- 

 *1,T.V>.1 |."). .Vi. The total valuation on 

 June 1, 1891, was 1911,794,179, on which the 

 l^'.i-. 1 Stale revenue tax (15 cents on the $100) 

 amounted to !j;l.3r>7,<>86.78. 



Legislative Session. The thirty-sixth Cen- 

 t-nil Assembly was convened in extra session Fel>. 

 IT. l s !t'J. The session lasted thirty-six days. The 

 subjects for legislation enumerated in the call 

 \\ere: There-forming of the congressional ami 

 State representative districts; the re-forming of 

 the judicial circuits and the adjusting of the 

 salaries of the judges thereof; the cession of 

 Jefferson Barracks reservation to the Federal 

 Government; the re-erection of the buildings of 

 the State University destroyed by fire, and the 

 expenses of the extra session. The bills relating 

 to these subjects were all passed. 



During the continuance of the extra session 

 the Governor informed the Legislature that the 

 State Board of Equalization had determined 

 that the assessed value of the taxable property 

 of the State exceeded $900,000.000, and recom- 

 mended that the tax levy for revenue purposes 

 be reduced from 20 cents to 15 cents on the $100, 

 in compliance with the requirements of the Con- 

 st it ut ion. Action to that effect was taken, and 

 the State revenue levy for the taxes of 1892 was 

 25 per cent, less than it had been since 1876. 



Prisons. According to statistics specially 

 compiled at the request of the Governor, the 

 record made by this institution under its pres- 

 ent management has not been equaled. The 

 General Assembly appropriated, in addition to 

 the earnings, $175,000 for maintenance during 

 the years 1891 and 1892. Of that fund nothing 

 has been drawn since Feb. 1, 1892, the Peniten- 

 tiary having been self-supporting during the 

 eleven months that intervened between that time 

 and the making of the report. Of the mainte- 

 naii'-e fund, $66,724.04 had been drawn previous 

 to l-Vb. 1. The remainder, $108,275.96, will re- 

 vert to the general revenue fund. 



A fire occurred at the Penitentiary on May 23, 

 1891. The new building cost $36,995.78 in 

 money, exclusive of the convict labor employed. 

 Had this fire not occurred the Penitentiary 

 would have been self-sustaining during the en- 

 tire biennial period. The cost exceeded the 

 earnings by about $286,000 during the four years 

 ending Dec. 31, 1888, and by about $112,000"dur- 

 ing the past few years. 



About 1,100 convicts are employed by the 

 prison contractors, at an average compensation 

 to the State of 50 cents a day; 327 convicts 

 were employed by the State in the work of the 

 institution, 13 were in solitary confinement, tin- 

 remainder were idle. The receipts from convict 

 labor, etc., in 1891, were $194,547.17: in 1892 

 they were $192,202.76. The expenditures for 

 support in 1891 were $182,600.06, in 1892 they 

 were $192,902.76; the balance on Jan. 1, 1893, 

 was $11,947.11. 



Teterinary Service. Under the veterinary 

 act of 1889 the Governor is authorized to send a 

 veterinary surgeon to any State or Territory to 

 investigate such dangerous or infectious diseases 

 as may exist there. The thirty-fifth and thirty- 



sixth General Assemblies made appropriations 

 for payments for animals with contagious dis- 

 eases slaughtered by order of the State veterina- 

 rian. The Legislature of 1889 appropriated $30,- 

 000 for this purpose, and fixed $ 100 us the maxi- 

 mum value of an animal slaughtered by order of 

 tin- State veterinarian ; the thirty-sixth General 

 As-cmbly reduced the maximum value to $50, 

 and the appropriation to $10,000. 



Natural Products. The coal production for 

 the year ending June 30, 1891, affording to the 

 State mine inspector's figures, was 2,550,028 tons, 

 valued at $3,480,867. This places .Missouri sec- 

 ond among the coal-producing States west of the 

 .Mississippi, and ninth among the coal-producing 

 States of the Union. It is an increase of about 

 8 per cent, over the preceding year. 



The production of iron ore in the State during 

 the year ending June 30, 1891, was 138,356 tons, 

 valued at $331,665. This is a decrease of nearly 

 40 per cent, from the production of the preced- 

 ing year. 



The surplus products of the State (not includ- 

 ing manufactures, but confined to commodities 

 originating in the State) amounted in 1891 and 

 1892 to $106,903,183 and $126,027,611, an in- 

 crease of nearly 20 per cent, in one year. 



Education. For the year ending June 30, 

 1889. the people of Missouri expended $4,898,- 

 660.61 for support of the public schools, and for 

 the year ending June 30, 1890, $5,291,956.27. 

 About four fifths of this money was raised by 

 taxes imposed by the taxpayers themselves, at 

 their annual school meetings." 



The Constitution requires that at least 25 per 

 cent, of the general revenue of -the State shall be 

 set aside for the benefit of the public schools. 

 The General Assemblies of 1887, 1889, and 1891 

 increased the apportionment to one third of the 

 general revenue, in 1888 one third of the reve- 

 nue amounted to $772,125.57, and in 1892 it ag- 

 gregated $900,306.14. 



The main buildings of the State University 

 were destroyed by fire on the night of Jan. 9, 

 1892. The $147,500 insurance was, with the ex- 

 ception of a few hundred dollars, promptly paid. 



The called session of the Legislature in 1892 

 authorized the use of the money collected from 

 the insurance companies, together with $40,000 

 transferred from tne State insurance fund, for 

 the re-erection of the buildings, provided the 

 city of Columbia would contribute $50,000 to 

 the same object. The citizens of Columbia, by 

 private subscription, procured the amount re- 

 quired and paid it into the State treasury. In 

 this manner $236,577 was obtained for the re- 

 erection of the buildings. The General Assem- 

 bly appropriated $88,983 for the support of the 

 State University during the years lW)l-'92. 



State Banks. There are in the State s>6 pri- 

 vate banks and 452 State banks, with an aggre- 

 gate capital of $21.::.V..V.i(>.1. and total depo.-its of 

 $80.910,442. These do not include the national 

 banks in Missouri, which number M. with a cap- 

 ital of $24.185,000. The national banks M 

 amined at least once annually by a United States 

 bank examiner. The State law does not provide 

 for an examination of State banks. 



Insurance Laws. The laws of 1889 increased 

 the taxes of insurance companies, and require 

 companies incorporated by other States and 



