504 



NEBRASKA. 



Nebraska, exclusive of Omaha and Lincoln, 

 " shows an improvement in the financial condi- 

 tion of the State since the report of July 18. 

 While there are 3 banks less than at that 

 date, the loans and discounts are greater by 

 $200,000. The average reserve held by the banks 

 is less than in the July report. The October re- 

 port gives the total resources as $24,380,544; 

 loans and discounts, $15,003,560; stocks, securi- 

 ties, etc., $527,878; banking houses, furniture, 

 and fixtures, $1,247,678; other real estate and 

 mortgages owned, $606,659 ; lawful money re- 

 serve in banks, $1,258,336. Of this amount 

 $747,785 was in gold coin and gold treasury cer- 

 tificates. 



"Of the liabilities the capital stock paid in 

 amounted to $7,423,100; surplus funds, $1,433,- 

 910; undivided profits, less expenses and taxes 

 paid. $563,408; dividends unpaid, $6,855; in- 

 dividual deposits, $11,989,794. The average 

 reserve held by the banks was 31-92 per cent." 



Railroads. A tabulated statement has been 

 made by the State Board of Transportation, 

 which shows the surplus or deficit of earnings 

 per mile over operating expenses, applying to 

 all roads in Nebraska since 1887 up to the year 

 ending June 30, 1894. This statement on the 

 face shows that out of 12 roads in the State only 

 3 the Union Pacific, St. Joseph and Grand 

 Island, and the Sioux City, O'Neill and North- 

 west have earned less per mile than operating 

 expenses. All others are credited with earning 

 a surplus ; but allowance must be made for 

 taxes, interest on funded debt, and dividends, 

 which items are not included in operating ex- 

 penses. The item of taxes amounts to from 

 $160 to $300 per mile per year. 



Education. The average daily attendance in 

 the public schools increased from 161,152 in 1893 

 to 171,198 in 1894. The cost in the former year 

 was $5,149,748, and in the latter $4.745,556. The 

 falling off in the school funds was due to the gen- 

 eral financial depression and the difficulty of 

 collecting the State tax. 



The total enrollment at the State University 

 was 1,156. Over 300 were in the preparatory 

 course, 61 in the college of law, 127 in the school 

 of art and music. The report complains of lack 

 of funds ; half of the money comes from the Gen- 

 eral Government, and nearly all the money for 

 buildings thus far has come from university rev- 

 enues primarily intended for purposes of instruc- 

 tion. The State, from its general fund, has 

 given but $25,000. It is seven years since a 

 building has been erected on the campus by leg- 

 islative appropriations, and there is actually no 

 more room for 1,200 students than was provided 

 for 400. 



State Institutions. The sum of appropria- 

 tions made' by the Legislature of 1893 was $2,- 

 208,940.26, against $2,886,575.63 in 1891. 



Current expenses for the support of convicts in the 

 Penitentiary are fixed by a contract made by the Leg- 

 islature. The affairs of the normal school and the 

 university are under control of a board of education 

 and a board of regents respectively. Hence these insti- 

 tutions arc omitted from the following comparison : 



During 1892 the remaining 11 institutions sup- 

 ported 1,564 inmates at a cost for current expenses of 

 $390,678, or $248 per capita, or 68 cents per capita 

 daily. 



During 1893 they supported 1,822 inmates at an ex- 



pense of $411,897, or $226 per capita, or 62 cents p<-r 

 capita daily. 



During 1894 they supported 5,042 inmates at an ex- 

 pense of $393,327, or $192.61 per capita, or 5-27 cents 

 per capita daily. 



The institutions produced $48,700 of tins amount in 

 cash, farm and garden products. 



In consequence of investigations by the Legis- 

 lature into alleged frauds on the part of persons 

 connected with State institutions, especially the 

 Asylum for the Insane at Lincoln and the Peni- 

 tentiary, prosecutions were instituted ; but no 

 convictions were had. The coal paid for at tl 

 hospital averaged, for 1891, 546 tons monthh 

 233 in 1892, and but 181 in 1893. At the 3 in- 

 sane hospitals the annual per capita expense 

 was reduced from $270.04 in 1892 to $152.05 in 

 1894 at Hastings; from $229.72 to $193.05 at 

 Lincoln ; and from $270.34 to $258.04 at Norfolk 

 during the corresponding period. 



The Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Grar 

 Island had 210 enrolled at the close of the year, 

 of whom 179 were present 159 men and 20 

 women. The annual expense for each inmate 

 was reduced from $339.89 in 1892 to $224.16 in 

 1894. 



The State Board of Public Lands and Buildings 

 ordered the Deaf-Mute Institute at Omaha to be 

 closed at such time as the superintendent should 

 find that no funds were left from the legislative 

 appropriations. The attendance was 137, and 

 the per capita expense for six months, $36.10. 



The graduating class of the State School for 

 the Blind, at Nebraska City, announced their in- 

 tention of staying at the institution after their 

 graduation, claiming to be wards of the State; 

 the principal appealed to the Attorney-General, 

 who replied that it was evidently not the inten- 

 tion of the act of Legislature establishing the in- 

 stitution to make it a permanent home for the 

 pupils, but an institution for educating them to 

 take care of themselves. 



The Girls' Industrial School, at Geneva, has had 

 137 under its care the past two years, of whom 

 10 have died and 56 have been paroled. The 

 per capita daily cost of maintenance was 44 

 cents. 



Militia. At the annual encampment 1,144 

 men were present during the seven days. The 

 cost of rations and the wages at $1 a day 

 amounted to $12,886. No encampment had 

 been held for three years, owing to lack of funds, 

 but the last Legislature appropriated $30,000. 

 Five companies were ordered to Omaha to sup- 

 press rioting during the strike. 



Public Lands. According to the Land Com- 

 missioner's report, the number of acres belonging 

 to the State, under grants from Congress, not 

 including internal-improvement lands, which 

 were disposed of before the office of Land Com- 

 missioner was established, is 3,026,659-9. Of this 

 acreage there are in the common-school lands, 

 2,782,098-78 acres ; agricultural college, 89.452-7H : 

 university. 45,426-08; Penitentiary, 32,044-01. 

 The last Legislature provided for the disposal 

 of the remaining portion of an original grant of 

 45,594 acres of so-called saline land. 



The State lands have been disposed of as fol- 

 low : Deeded, 320,272-53 acres; contracted. OS1.- 

 614-65 ; leased. 1,583,866-09 ; vacant, 373,135-45. 

 During the bienniurn, Commissioner Humphrey 



