GEORGIA. 



889 



owned by colored taxpayers is assessed at $14,- 

 900,075, Dating taONMM to that amount from 

 !?:i.ix.>.:;!is in 1879. The whole assessment of 

 taxable property amounted in 1879 to $284,- 

 809,548, 



Education. When the present system of 

 common schools was inaugurated, in 1871, the 

 school fund amounted to only $174,107.02, not 

 including the poll tax, which is kept in the coun- 

 ties and does not go into the State treasury. In 

 1893 the fund, not including the poll tax, was 

 $1,058,532.52. The enrollment in 1871 was 49,- 

 578, of whom 0.004 were colored. In 1892 the 

 total enrollment was 415,047, of whom 101,705 

 were colored. The number of schools in 1871 

 was 1,573, of which 221 were colored. In 1892 

 there were 5,047 white and 2,093 colored schools. 

 During the same period the school population 

 has increased from 314,973 to 004,971. Only 

 since 1889 has any portion of the school fund 

 been raised by direct taxation. In that year the 

 amount raised by direct tax was $105,000 ; in 

 1893 it was $088,500. The educational tax 

 proper is 1-4 mill. The expenses of the depart- 

 ment of education in 1893 were $5,125.29. There 

 were in 1892 teachers to the number of 7,929, of 

 whom 2,085 were colored. The percentage of 

 illiteracy in the State is given as follows in the 

 superintendent's report: White illiteracy, 11 per 

 cent. ; colored, 27 per cent. ; average, 18 per cent. 



The Normal-School act of 1891 provided for 

 the acceptance of the Rock College building and 

 acres of land near Athens. With this gift was 

 included the Gilmer fund of $15,000, left by the 

 late Gov. Gilmer for training teachers ; and out 

 of the Peabody fund for the year was $800 set 

 aside for an institute at Athens. In addition to 

 this, 5 counties agreed to hold their county in- 

 stitutes there during the summer of 1892. In 

 these ways a fund of $1,925 was raised for the 

 Normal-School work. A continuous session was 

 held for seven weeks, during which time instruc- 

 tion was given to teachers from 32 of the coun- 

 ties. During the week of the county institutes 

 there was an enrollment of 213, and the remain- 

 der of the session 112. No appropriation was 

 made for 1893, and the means collected from 

 available funds and by private subscription were 

 only sufficient to provide for the expenses of a 

 six weeks' term, with 9 instructors. There was 

 a total enrollment of 110 students from 35 coun- 

 ties, with an average enrollment of 75, and an 

 average daily attendance of GO. 



The Technological School, which is in its sev- 

 enth year, opened in September with 150 stu- 

 dents. 



The ninety-third session of the University of 

 Georgia opened Sept. 20, with an attendance the 

 largest for many years. 



Railroads. The year has been unusually 

 hard for railways. Two thirds of the property 

 of those in Georgia is said to be in the hands of 

 receivers. The Atlanta and Florida was sold 

 under foreclosure. The Georgia Central was put 

 into the hands of a receiver in 1891, and a de- 

 cree has been issued for its sale. It has been 

 operated by the Richmond and Danville road. 



A bill was filed in the United States court, 

 Dec. 15, by the Central Trust Company of New 

 York, praying for the foreclosure of a mortgage 

 against the Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus 



Railroad, and also the Savannah and Western 

 Railroad. The complainant alleges that a princi- 

 pal of $2,090,000 is due on the bonds of the two 

 railroads, which are under the same manage- 

 ment and practically one company, in addition 

 to the interest up to Sept. 1, amounting to $52,- 

 250, and the interest on both amounts since that 

 time and up to the filing of the bill. 



The gross earnings of the Georgia Southern 

 were reported to have been $708,445 in 1892, 

 and $817,321 in 1893; but under the receiver- 

 ship the expenses were increased during 1893 by 

 $115,507. The road earned net, in 1892, $243,- 

 000, and in 1893, $170,000. The reason of the 

 apparent increase in expenses under the receiver- 

 ship is due to the law of the interstate commis- 

 sion, which requires all expenditures of the 

 road, except court costs and taxes, to be charged 

 to operating expenses. 



At a meeting of the directors of the South- 

 western, Dec. 27, the board authorized the pres- 

 ident to take the road from the control of the 

 Central and put it on an independent footing. 

 It also declared that "it is the purpose of this 

 company to provide the funds necessary to meet 

 any liability that may be adjudged against it 

 upon the so-called tripartite bonds." The presi- 

 dent and treasurer were authorized to execute a 

 mortgage or deed of trust, and issue bonds pay- 

 able in gold after fifty years and bearing inter- 

 est not exceeding 5 per cent. 



The Savannah extension of the Florida Cen- 

 tral and Peninsular Railroad was completed in 

 December. The distance between Savannah and 

 Jacksonville by this route is 138 miles, while by 

 the older route it is 172. 



The annual report of the Western and Atlan- 

 tic shows the total receipts to have been $1.390,- 

 300.42; total expenses, $955,040.95; net earn- 

 ings, $440,050.47; rental, $420,012; taxes, $9,- 

 948.23 ; balance, $10,099.24. 



Prisons. Convicts to the number of 102 

 were admitted to the Penitentiary in 1892. Dur- 

 ing the last three months of that year 181 had 

 been sent to the camps. The repo'rt for Octo- 

 ber, 1892. showed that the number of convicts 

 amounted then to 1.940. of whom 194 were white 

 males and 1,090 colored males, 2 white females 

 and 54 colored females. This does not include 

 criminals in the chain gangs. There are 277 

 under sentence for life, 15 of whom were under 

 seventeen when admitted, and CO under twenty- 

 one. Of the whole number of convicts, 130 were 

 under seventeen when sentenced, and 632 under 

 twenty. 



The Governor urged the Legislature to estab- 

 lish a reformatory for youthful criminals, but a 

 bill introduced for that purpose failed to pass. 



Atlanta. The capital city completed on Dec. 

 28 the first fifty years of its existence, having 

 received its charter in 1848. Its first name was 

 Terminus, the place having been fixed a.* the 

 terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railway, 

 which was then building, though it was not un- 

 til 1845 that railway connection was carried to 

 that point. When the charter was applied for, 

 in 1843. the name Marthasville was chosen, sug- 

 gested by the name of a daughter of Gov. Lump- 

 kin ; but when a new charter was granted, m 

 1847. /the present name was substituted. A cele- 

 bration had been planned for this year, but ow- 



