MISSOURI. 



389 



in the House, 75 Democrats, 50 Republicans, and 1 

 Populist. 



Finances. The bonded debt of the State, on 

 Jan. 1, 1899 (latest official report), was $3,042,000. 

 This shows a net reduction of $1,334,000 in the, two 

 preceding years. The bonded debt of cities and 

 towns on the same date was $25,601,478. This will 

 be increased in 1901 by the $5,000,000 authorized 

 for the St. Louis Fair. County and township 

 bonds to the amount of $9,530,507 have been issued 

 in 59 counties, while 76 have no bonded debt. The 

 State certificates of indebtedness on Jan. 1. 1899, 

 amounted to $4,393,839.40. 



In 1899 the Treasurer reports $795,000 of inter- 

 est-bearing debt was paid off, being $545,000 more 

 than the constitutional provision relating to State 

 debt requires. The estimate for 1900 is about 

 $500,000. 



Valuation. By the latest biennial report 

 (1'JUO), the total valuation for the State real and 

 personal property is given at $1,093,091,204. For 

 St. Louis the figures are $337,632,192, on a rate of 

 663 of real value. The farm areas are given at 

 41,499,765 acres, valued at an average of $7.75. 



Banks. On Oct. 31, 1900, there were 67 na- 

 tional banks in the State, with a note circulation 

 of $12,281,374; capital paid up, $17,950,000. State 

 banks reported 564, with a capital of $17,795,900; 

 sin plus, $6,010,122; revenue tax paid, $54,703. 

 The number of private banks was 41 ; capital stock, 

 $1,701,370; tax paid, $4,866. Loans and trust com- 

 panies, 9; capital, $6,551,393; surplus, $2,569,118. 

 The total State bank capital reported was $43,- 

 844,563. There are 55 savings banks, with deposits 

 to the amount of $16,535,769.12. 



Education. The State system embraces the 

 University, Agricultural College, School of Mines, 

 3 normal schools, 1 institute for colored teachers, 

 with 10,326 public schools and 181 high schools and 

 seminaries. 



The total amount of the school funds is $12,- 

 447,242.69. 



The State University, at Columbia, has 8 depart- 

 ments academic, normal, law, medicine, military 

 science and tactics, agriculture, and mechanic 

 arts, with school of mines and metallurgy at 

 Rolla. The enrollment for 1900 was 1,035 at Co- 

 lumbia, and at Rolla 165, showing an increase of 

 nearly 28 per cent. 



The State normal schools are 4, including the Lin- 

 coln Institute (colored), at Kansas City. The others 

 are at Kirkville, Warrensburg, and Cape Girardeau. 

 The number attending the 3 last was males, 1,028 ; 

 females, 1,111. The total expenditures were $59,- 

 015.98. The Lincoln Institute had of students 

 males, 110; females, 131. The annual expendi- 

 tures at the last report were $13,501.46. State Su- 

 perintendent Carrington reported 1,900 private in- 

 stitutions of learning as follows: 1 each sectarian 

 and nonsectarian universities, 36 sectarian col- 

 leges and academies and 17 nonsectarian, 14 pro- 

 fessional schools, and 10 each separate male and 

 female academies. Thirty-four of these private in- 

 stitutions of higher or special learning are open to 

 both sexes. The school age in Missouri is from six 

 to twenty years, and the expense per pupil is $16.13 

 M year. The attendance is 2.30 per cent, of the 

 total population. 



A notable addition to colleges is the Ruskin, at 

 Trenton. It is founded on the same general lines 

 as Knskin Hall at Oxford, England. 



State Institutions. In addition to the State 

 University, at Columbia, and its School of Mines, 

 at. Rolla, the State maintains four normal schools, 

 one, the Lincoln Institute, being for the training 

 of colored teachers. There are also schools for 

 deaf and dumb, blind, boys' reform and girls' 



industrial, an institution for feeble-minded, three 

 insane asylums, three soldiers' homes, a fruit-rais- 

 ing experimental station, and the State Peniten- 

 tiary. 



On Jan. 1, 1899 (the latest official report), the 

 Auditor presented as total expenses for the blind 

 school, with an average of 327 pupils for the pre- 

 ceding biennial period, $55,860.56. Under the 

 estimate of Sept. 30, 1900, the Governor's exam- 

 ination gives the year's expenditure as about 

 $33,000. For a building site, $82,298.88 was ex- 

 pended. Several light occupations are taught. 



For the Deaf and Dumb School in 1900 an 

 estimated cost of $30,000 was given. 



The Girls' Industrial School is credited with 

 good management and progress. 



The Boys' Reform School had 435 inmates at 

 the last report, and the institution was crowded, 

 but well cared for and healthful. The average 

 annual expenditure for the boys' school is esti- 

 mated at $31,000, and for the girls'school at $14,- 

 000. 



The soldiers' homes two for Confederate and 

 one for National veterans are estimated as cost- 

 ing $36,000 yearly. The State maintains three 

 insane asylums, at the estimated cost of $385,000. 

 It also appropriated $10,000 in aid of one in St. 

 Louis. The State Penitentiary is practically self- 

 sustaining, the total earnings of the prisoners 

 showing, on Oct. 1, 1900, a balance of $56,802.96. 

 This includes all running expenses and salaries, 

 besides new buildings and repairs. 



Agriculture. According to the latest report of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture, the 

 8 principal crops raised in the State in 1900 oc- 

 cupied 9,090,125 acres, an increase over 1899 of 

 859,741 acres. The yield for corn, wheat, oats, rye, 

 buckwheat, and barley was 224,402,673 bushels, 

 an increase over the preceding year of 39,720,- 

 933 bushels. Prices were also higher. The acreage 

 in potatoes for 1900 was 108,677 acres, an increase 

 of 3,165 acres. The yield was 10,106,961 bushels, 

 an increase also of 1,349,465. The acreage in hay 

 was 2,145,748, and the production 2,768,015 tons, 

 a decrease for the year of 112,270 acres and in 

 yield of 326,379 tons. Corn, oats, wheat, and 

 potatoes are the largest producers. Average values 

 were somewhat higher in 1900 than in the year 

 preceding. 



Insurance. The State Superintendent reports 

 (April, 1900) for the year preceding 347 companies 

 doing business in the State, of which 141 were life, 

 39 fraternal, and the others fire and miscellaneous. 

 The business done in the State was as follows: 

 Life policies in force, 73,192; industrial, 313,527; 

 issued in year, 21,379 and 161,714; claims paid, 

 $2,433,368.87 and $480,570.60; premiums collected, 

 $7,274,719.40 and $465,189.85. Fraternal insurance 

 was in the State for 1899: In force in Missouri, 

 $252,233,106.25; paid during year, $2,303,262.80; 

 assessments collected, $2,361,795.25. Other life and 

 accident companies showed for the year 8,762 pol- 

 icies issued, 16,858 in fore ; with amounts for each 

 class of $15,930,305 and $32.278,621. All insurance 

 companies other than life showed: Risks written, 

 $173,671,696.37; premiums received, $6,661,791.92; 

 losses paid, $3,439,579.23; losses incurred, $3,650,- 

 227.40. 



Railroads. The State Railway and Warehouse 

 Commission abrogated in 1900 its practice of levy- 

 ing an arbitrary sum per mile to cover " miscel- 

 laneous property," having realized that the courts 

 would not sustain the practice. The valuation for 

 taxation (1900) was as follows: Steam roads, $77,- 

 448.204.30: street roads, electric etc.. $21,045,288; 

 bridges, $2,865,000; telegraph lines, $2,002,507.71. 

 There are 6 counties without railroads. The num- 



