764 



VERMONT. 



S. Stone: Inspector of Finance, Savings Banks, 

 and Trust Companies, William A. Dubois, who 

 was succeeded on Dec. 1 by Frederick E. Smith ; 

 Railroad Commissioners, Samuel E. Pingree, 

 Amory Davison, and E. M. Bagley, who were suc- 

 ceeded on Nov. 19 by Olin Merrill, Orion M. 

 Barber, and Charles J. Bell ; Chief Judge of the 

 Supreme Court, Jonathan Ross ; Assistant Jus- 

 tices, John W. Rowell, Russell S. Taft, Henry R. 

 St art, L. IT. Thompson, James M. Tyler, and Love- 

 land Munson. 



Finances. According to the report of the 

 Treasurer, the total receipts for the fiscal year 

 ending June 30, 1894, were $1,198,309.83, distrib- 

 uted as follow: Cash on hand in banks, July 1, 



1893, $192,025.65; income Agricultural College 

 fund, $8,130 ; foreign insurance companies' fees 

 and licenses, $5,047; United States Government 

 for Soldiers' Home, $4,974.50 ; United States Gov- 

 ernment, endowment agricultural colleges, $19,- 

 000; judges of probate, fees, $15,194.50; county 

 clerks, judgments and balances, $49,827.71 ; super- 

 intendent of Prisons, $14,933.50; House of Cor- 

 rection, $12,526.93; Vermont Insane Asylum, 

 $6,832.49 ; taxes from corporations, $349,463.54 ; 

 State tax, 1893, $250,545.32; 5-per-cent. State 

 school tax, $85,035.33; 5-per-cent. highway tax, 



1894, $85,258.86; unexpended balance, World's 

 Fair appropriation, $1,139.18. 



Among the disbursements are these items: 

 Auditor's orders paid, $542,672.51 ; distribution 

 of 5-per-cent. State school tax to towns, $87,- 

 620.77; temporary loans, act of 1892, $87.500: 

 University of Vermont and State Agricultural 

 fund, $19,000; Soldier's Home, $4,974.50 ; Hunt- 

 ington fund to towns, $12,659.91 ; paid to towns, 

 distribution of 5-per-cent. highway tax, 1893, 

 $87,587.26 ; cash in banks, $338,407.84 : cash on 

 hand, $5,603.59. There was left available for the 

 fiscal year, July 1, 1894, to June 30, 1895, $489,- 

 655.09". 



Legislative Session. The regular biennial 

 session of the State Legislature began on Oct. 3 

 and continued until Nov. 27. Senator Frank 

 Plumley was made president pro tern., and W. W T . 

 Stickney was chosen Speaker of the House. The 

 debentures and mileage of the session amounted to 

 $58,899.40. The most important measure con- 

 sidered was the acceptance of the report of the 

 committee on the revision of the statutes. It 

 included all laws passed since 1880, and was ac- 

 cepted by both houses without discussion. A 

 bill creating a Board of Pharmacy was passed, 

 and measures tending to suppress tuberculosis 

 among cattle were enacted. The Rutland bound- 

 ary-line bill was the cause of much disagreement 

 and resulted in a deadlock, but a compromise 

 advising the annexation of a part of the city of 

 Rutland to the town of Rutland proved accept- 

 able. A bill extending the ballot to women un- 

 der certain conditions failed, and the Australian 

 ballot law will remain practically unchanged, all 

 amendments looking to any material change hav- 

 ing been killed. Other measures of importance 



Granting a city charter to Montpelic-r. 



Prohibiting adulteration of grain. 



Amending" the divorce laws. 



Relating to proceedings in cases of insanity. 



To publish Oilman's ''Bibliography of Vermont." 



Relating to assessment of stockholders 1 incorpora- 

 tions for purposes of taxation. 



Relating to liability of towns for damage from in- 

 sufficient bridges. 



Making Barre a city. 



Authorizing the building of a monument to Thomaa 

 Chittenden. 



Making provision for completion and maintenance 

 of a fish hatchery. 



To encourage the maple-sugar industry. 



Appropriating money for tKe preservation of battle 

 monuments. 



To establish a permanent camp ground for the 

 militia. 



The appropriations made by the Legislature 

 for the coming biennial term are as follow : 

 House of Correction, $20.000 ; Soldiers' Home 

 $20,000; fish hatchery, $7,000: Gov. Chittenden 

 monument, $3.000 ; 'Hospital Soldiers' Home, 

 $2,000; State Prison, $3,500; permanent camp 



round, $1,500 ; Vermont Maple Sugar Exchange. 

 500; town of Belvidere, $1,000 ; Board of 

 Health, $4,000; Winchester Monument, $300; 

 tuberculosis, $5,000. In addition to the above, 

 $150,000 was appropriated for the completion of 

 the Vermont Asylum for the Insane at Water- 

 bury. The special appropriations aggregate 

 nearly $220,000. Outside of that for the insane 

 asylum the amount appropriated is about $70,000. 

 State Treasurer Field estimates the expenditures 

 at $1.020,000 for-the biennial term. The revenues 

 will be increased by the assessment of a tax of 12 

 cents on the grand list of 1895, which it is esti- 

 mated will raise $210,000. The corporation taxes 

 for the two years are estimated at $650,OGO. 

 This makes the total resources for this period 

 $1,024,655. 



Education. The annual report of the State 

 Superintendent presents the argument for the 

 town system of schools, and meets the strongest 

 objection that has ever been made to it when he 

 shows that it has actually diminished the cost of 

 schools while it has unquestionably improved 

 the quality. The average cost throughout the 

 State was $10.90 a week last year; for the year 

 before, $11.69. The average length of schools 

 for the past year was 31-09 weeks; for 1893, 

 28-29 ; making 6,411-2 additional weeks of school- 

 ing given to the children of the State in 1894 by 

 the town system. This additional schooling has 

 been afforded at a very small addition to the ag- 

 gregate cost. 



Fort Ethan Allen. A military post was es- 

 tablished by the United States Government, on 

 land ceded by the State for that purpose, on Hit- 

 eastern side of Lake Charnplain, near Essex 

 Junction. It occupies land once owned by- 

 Ethan Allen, and is in view of his tomb. In his 

 honor it was given its name. Four troops of 

 the Third United States Cavalry transferred 

 from Forts Riley and Sheridan became the first 

 garrison. The purpose of this fort is to protect 

 the raihvay centers in the vicinity and to serve 

 as a rallying point in case of war involving an 

 attack on Canada. 



Insurance. Twenty-one life insurance com- 

 panies of other States had 13,875 policies in 

 force in Vermont in 1893, amounting to $20,- 

 539,648. The value of new policies issued ag- 

 gregated $3,418,915, against $3,082,882 in 1892. 

 The premiums paid on policies amounted to 

 $682,355. The death losses paid were $274.691. 





