730 



UTAH. 



Leases of mountain lands for sheep grazing 

 were made for 106,531 acres, appraised at $152,- 

 220. upon which the annual rental is $0,300.44. 



All the revenues for sales and leases of State 

 lands are held in the State treasury in separate 

 funds, and whenever opportunity offers invest- 

 ments are made in Government, municipal, coun- 

 ty, and school-district bonds, and in mortgages 

 on farms. Only the earnings of these investments 

 are available for the educational institutions of 

 the State, made beneficiaries by the State's en- 

 abling act. In the, cases of land revenues going to 

 the establishment of institutions and other public 

 undertakings, the interest is added to the princi- 

 pal, and this will continue until each particular 

 fund is large enough to begin building. The State 

 has the following amounts now out (exclusive of 

 small uninvested balances in the treasury) draw- 

 ing interest for the funds mentioned: District 

 school, $104,168; university land, $150,835; reser- 

 voir land, $19,850; Insane Asylum, $3,815; School 

 of Mines. $5,091; Agricultural College, $5,820; 

 ln-titution for the Blind, $2,260; State Capitol, 

 .-:;.,.-)(); Minors' Hospital, $2,800; Normal School, 

 $100; Deaf and Dumb School, $3,095; Reform 

 School, $6,364; total, $367,854. 



Education. According to the report of the 

 State Superintendent, at the close of the school 

 term, July 1, there was a school population of 86,- 

 353. This includes all between the ages of six 

 and eighteen, and shows a net increase of 1,934 

 over the preceding year. There are 43,119 white 

 boys and 43,030 white girls, and 106 colored boys 

 and 98 colored girls. Boys to the number of 38,- 

 1 ."iii. and 38,384 girls, can read and write. Attend- 

 ing the public schools were 36,568 boys and 36,457 

 girls; attending private schbols, 1,139 boys and 

 1,294 girls; attending no school, 5,518 boys and 

 5.3/7 girls. Fifty-three deaf and 8 blind persons 

 between the ages of five and thirty years are 

 noted in the report. 



In the year ending June 30, $1,232,499.03 was 

 expended for the maintenance of public schools. 

 The revenues amounted to $1,301,610.54, includ- 

 ing a balance on hand at the beginning of the 

 year of $117,297.25. The unexpended balance at 

 the close of the year was $69,111.51. 



The school revenues were from the following 

 sources: District taxes, $628,194.45; State taxes, 

 $226,701.53; county taxes, $119,155.59; sale of 

 bonds, $47,856.16; sinking funds, $16,853.12; tui- 

 tion fees, $1,202.47; sundry other sources, $44,- 

 345.90. The expenditures were: Salaries of male 

 teachers, $239,303.63; female teachers, $346,841.- 

 49; new buildings and land, $152,327.87; interest 

 on bonds, $57,052.64; current expenses, exclusive 

 of salaries or janitor service, $50,674.88; repairs 

 and improvements, $44,442.33; janitor service, 

 M.:.!)72.93; sinking fund investments, $30,462.42; 

 redemption of bonds, $25,862.70; compensation to 

 trustees. $24,450.35; furniture and apparatus, $26,- 

 10.54; supplies, $15.292.52; rent of buildings, 

 $S,978.92; text-books for indigent pupils, $7,247.- 

 5K; taking school census, $2,685.47; books for 

 school libraries, $1.880.42; disbursements for pur- 

 I.HM-S not otherwise stated, $38,348.94. 



The total bonded debt of school districts is 

 $1,089.410. and the floating indebtedness $85,374.- 

 U2. The net increase of indebtedness in 1900 was 

 $10,089.84. 



The State Teachers' Association held its con- 

 vention in Salt Lake City the last week in De- 

 << inlier, adopted a new constitution and by-laws. 

 and elected officers. Frank B. Cooper. Superin- 

 tendent of the Hoard of Education, was elected 

 president, and Frank Evans, of Ogden, was re- 

 elected secretary. 



Prof. J. H. Paul urged the need of securing suit- 

 able text-books on botany, geology, and meteor- 

 ology for use in the schools of Utah, Montana, 

 Colorado, and other Western States. Other dis- 

 cussions were on the need of art in public edu- 

 cation and Nature study in schools. 



Coal. It is estimated that coal worth $3,200,- 

 000 was produced in 1900, and more than $1,000,- 

 000 expended in miners' wages; and this leaves 

 out of account the cost of improvements at the 

 mines. 



At Scofield, May 1, about 200 men and boys 

 met their deaths by a mine explosion. Investiga- 

 tion seemed to prove that this resulted from a sur- 

 plus of coal dust, the needful sprinkling of which 

 had been neglected. After a full inquiry the 

 company was exonerated. Financial aid came 

 promptly, not only from the company, but from 

 people all over the State, and even from outside. 

 Within a few days more than $100,000 was raised, 

 and the fund increased to goodly proportions. 

 Much of what was known as " the Winter Quar- 

 ters " of the Pleasant Valley mining region was 

 swept away. Ihe improvements made in the 

 winter quarters during the year aggregates $37,- 

 000. This includes the building of new houses 

 and new facilities for handling coal. At Clear 

 Creek, another point of the Pleasant Valley Com- 

 pany's works, the recent improvements have cost 

 $46,000; at Castlegate $79,000 was expended. 



It is estimated that this company alone con- 

 trols 10,000 square miles of coal land, some of 

 which has not yet been touched, and much more 

 only " scratched." The average wages is $2.50 

 a day. This company mined more than 1,000,000 

 tons of coal; its pay rolls aggregated $960,000, 

 and 1,059 men were employed through the year. 



The following statistics were given by Gomer 

 Thomas, State Inspector of Mines : The number or 

 men employed in Utah coal mines in 1900 was 

 1,504, a gain over the previous year of 381; the 

 tonnage of coal for 1900 was 1,224,176, a gain of 

 348,304 tons. The number of accidents during the 

 year was 272; fatal, 209. Twelve mines were 

 opened in Carbon County, 15 in Emery County. 

 No mines were suspended or abandoned during 

 the year. 



Fish and Game. The past season is the first 

 that the hatchery has been in full operation, and, 

 despite some unforeseen drawbacks, the result is 

 most encouraging. 



The hatchery was located about H mile east 

 of Murray, on"5f acres of land along Spring run. 

 The cost of land, building, drive well for water 

 that maintains an even temperature all the year 

 round, equipment, etc., approximates to $4.600, 

 and the needs of the hatchery for the next two 

 years are placed at $3,860, exclusive of $1,500 for 

 a dwelling for the superintendent. It was formal- 

 ly opened on Dec. 30, 1899. In the season 1900-'01 

 190,000 trout eggs of various kinds were received, 

 which were hatched'and planted in the waters of 

 Utah, the loss being a little less than 4 per cent. 



Commissioner Sharp suggests that the hatchery 

 can easily be made to rear from 2.000.000 to 

 3.000,000 young trout every year if advantage i-> 

 taken of the varying spawning periods. Durinir 

 tliis first year there were received at the hatchery 

 500.000 Eastern lake trout eggs, 350.000 Eastern 

 brook trout eggs, 5.000 landlocked salmon from 

 (Jreen lake. Maine. 25,000 native or black-spotted 

 trout eggs from Big Cottonwood creek, 75.000 

 rrayling trout eggs from Montana, and 10,000 

 sleellieads from Oregon. The distribution was 

 made with reference to the nearness of streams 

 to railroads and other conditions favorable to 

 propagation. 



