476 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



monwealth will not be required to pay the prin- 

 cipal or interest of the first two named, and only 

 a percentage of the last, but the bonds repre- 

 senting them are State bonds and form a nom- 

 inal part of the public debt. The same may be 

 said of the Fitch burg Railroad loan. Of the 

 proceeds of the sewerage loan, amounting to 

 $5,000,000, there had been expended, up to the 

 close of 1893, the sum of $4,044,525.82. The re- 

 ceipts from the collateral inheritance tax during 

 the year amounted to $59,429.31. 



Valuation. The total assessed valuation of 

 property in the State for 1893 was $2,428,339,- 

 029 ; personal estate being assessed at $588,675,- 

 216, and real estate at $1,839,663,813. Included 

 in the assessment were 4,508,945 acres of land, 

 383,713 dwellings, 191,178 horses, 234,334 neat 

 cattle, 46,153 sheep, and 27,871 swine. Personal 

 estate in Suffolk County, which includes Boston, 

 was valued at $219,269,121, and real estate at 

 $737,498,505. For 1893 a total State tax of 

 $1,750,000 was levied. 



Legislative Session. The regular session of 

 the Legislature began on Jan. 4, and ended on 

 June 10. On Jan. 17, Henry Cabot Lodge, Re- 

 publican, was chosen United States Senator, to 

 succeed Hon. Henry L. Dawes, the vote being as 

 follows: Senate Lodge, 29; Patrick A. Collins, 

 Democrat, 11 : House Lodge, 161 ; Collins, 71. 

 At the Republican caucus held on Jan. 4, Lodge 

 received 147 votes, and William W. Crapo 30. 

 The question of rapid transit in Boston was dis- 

 cussed, and two important measures were en- 

 acted with reference thereto. One of these pro- 

 vided for a commission with authority to take 

 land for a subway or an elevated railroad, as the 

 commission should determine. The act was 

 made operative only upon its approval by a ma- 

 jority of the persons voting at a general or spe- 

 cial election held in the city for that purpose. 

 At this election, held in December, a majority of 

 the votes opposed the measure. The other act 

 provides that, upon its adoption by the City 

 Council of Boston, the mayor shall appoint a 

 commission, known as the Board of Subway Com- 

 missioners, which shall have authority to con- 

 struct a subway for street railway purposes, ex- 

 tending through Tremont Street from the junc- 

 tion of Tremont and Pleasant Streets to Scollay 

 Square, or near thereto. The city is authorized 

 to borrow not exceeding $2.000,000 to pay for 

 the construction of such way and to carry out 

 the other provisions of the act. Street railway 

 companies shall be compelled to use such sub- 

 way upon paying such compensation to the city 

 as the Board of Railroad Commissioners shall 

 deem just. This act was adopted by the City 

 Council, and commissioners were appointed by 

 the Governor late in December. 



The franchises heretofore granted to the Cape 

 Cod Ship Canal Company, which were about to 

 lapse on account of the "failure of the company 

 to perform the conditions of its charter, were 

 bestowed on a new company called the Old Col- 

 ony and Interior Canal Company. 



After a long investigation into the business 

 and financial operations of the Bay State Gas 

 Company, the legislators decided "that it had 

 violated the law in issuing a certain obligation 

 for $4,500,000, and an act was passed declaiing 

 its charter annuled unless such obligation should 



be canceled and surrendered within a limited 

 time. Later the company saved its charter by 

 complying with this provision. 



By another law. all new issues of railroad cor- 

 poration stock are to be first offered to the stock- 

 holders at the market value thereof, such value 

 to be determined by the State Board of Railroad 

 Commissioners, and all stock not so taken shall 

 be sold at auction to the highest bidder. These 

 requirements are intended to put an end to rail- 

 road stock dividends. 



Provision was made for winding up the affairs 

 of all those endowment orders doing business 

 under the act of 1888, authorizing the payment 

 of benefits at fixed periods, and the business of 

 such orders was thereafter forbidden. 



A day's labor for all persons employed in 

 manual labor for or in behalf of the Common- 

 wealth was fixed at nine hours. 



A Metropolitan Park Commission was created, 

 with authority to acquire and maintain for the 

 public benefit open areas of land within a dis- 

 trict known as the Metropolitan Park District, 

 embracing the following cities and towns : Bos- 

 ton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Maiden, 

 Medford, Newton, Quincy, Somerville, Waltham, 

 Woburn, Arlington, Belrnont, Braintree, Brook- 

 line, Canton, Dedham, Dover, Hingham, Hull, 

 Hyde Park, Melrose, Milton, Nahant, Needham, 

 Revere, Saugus, Stoneham, Swampscott, Wake- 

 field, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston, Weymouth, 

 Winchester, and Winthrop. Within this dis- 

 trict the commission was authorized to acquire 

 land by purchase, gift, devise, or by eminent do- 

 main. The sum of $1,000,000, to be raised by 

 the issue of 4-per-cent. State bonds, was placed 

 at its disposal for the purpose of carrying out 

 the objects of the act. Provision was also made 

 by which each town and city shall pay to the 

 Commonwealth yearly a proportionate part of 

 the interest annually due on such bonds, and a 

 fixed sum for a sinking fund to meet the princi- 

 pal at maturity. 



A constitutional amendment relative to the 

 mileage of members of the Legislature, which 

 was proposed at the session of 1892, was ap- 

 proved at this session, and provision was made 

 for its submission to the people in Novem- 

 ber. Another amendment was proposed for 

 the first time, abolishing the requirement that 

 commissioners of insolvency be elected by the 

 people. 



A State tax of $2,500,000 for the year was ap- 

 portioned among the towns. A further appro- 

 priation of $25,000 was made in aid of the State 

 exhibit at the World's Fair, and the sum of 

 $100,000 was appropriated for the extermination 

 of the gypsy moth. 



Other acts of the session were as follow : 



Authorizing cities and towns to provide free even- 

 ing lectures. 



Incorporating the trustees of the John Greenleaf 

 Whittier homestead. 



To regulate the manufacture and sale of clothing 

 made in unhealthful places. 



Eequiring the treasurers find assistant treasurers of 

 savings institutions to give bonds for the faithful dis- 

 charge of their duties. 



To quiet title to real estate. 



To abate the smoke nuisance in cities. 



To punish persons falsely pretending to hold de- 

 grees from educational institutions. 



