ILLINOIS. 



327 



part of the State was 35 bushels ; in the central, 21 ; 

 in the southern, 19: total area sowed, 3,747,938 

 acres; total yield, 108,720,511 bushels; ruling price 

 per bushel Aug. 1, 1898, 19 cents; estimated value 

 of crop, 121,218,742. 



The number of acres of rye reported was 115,822 ; 

 value, $657,414; seeded for 1898, 90,661 acres. 



The number of acres of barley reported was 20,- 

 030 ; average price per bushel, 31 cents ; value of 

 the crop, $171,040. The number of acres of corn 

 planted was 7,051,500; yield, 239,3(50.000 bushels; 

 price per bushel Dec. 1, 1898, 21 cents; total esti- 

 mated value of the crop, $51,510,000. 



The experiment station sent out 800 circulars to 

 the farmers of the State, and received 316 replies, 

 274 of these answers being used in constructing 

 tables on corn, as follows : Total number of acres 

 represented, 16,603 ; total number of bushels repre- 

 sented, 896,235 ; average cost per acre, $8.72 ; aver- 

 age cost per bushel, 16.1 cents. 



The first corn convention ever held in the United 

 States began Feb. 16, 1898, in Chicago. Twenty- 

 one States were represented. The object of the 

 meeting was to draw attention to the corn crop. 

 It was stated that the value of the corn crop in this 

 last decade had been about equal to the combined 

 value of wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, and potatoes 

 for the same period. The exports of corn foods to 

 Europe have increased in four years from 41,000,000 

 to 188,000,000 bushels. 



Live Stock. The twelfth annual report of the 

 Live Stock Commission gives the total weight of 

 passed cattle inspected as 770,635 pounds ; net pro- 

 ceeds, $47,905.62 ; total weight of condemned cattle, 

 611,260 pounds; net proceeds, $7,200.79. 



The State Board of Commissioners gave a full 

 account of experiments to show that Southern cattle 

 dipped in extra dynamo oil and sulphur are inca- 

 pable of conveying Southern fever to Northern 

 native cattle. In 1897 700 dairy cattle were tested 

 with tuberculin, and 11 per cent, were found to be 

 diseased. In 1898 229 were tested, and a little more 

 than 16 per cent, were found to be affected. Of the 

 8,499 cattle quarantined for inspection, 5,761 were 

 released in the yard and 2,738 were slaughtered 

 After inspection. Of the slaughtered, 2,090 were 

 passed on post mortem, and the carcasses were sold 

 for food, while 646 were reduced to fertilizer. 



Game. After Sept. 15 the.game law is suspended, 

 and pinnated grouse and prairie chicken may be 

 killed. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 1 quail, ruffed 

 grouse, pheasant, and partridge may be hunted. 



The Illinois Fishermen's Association reported 

 9,703,298 pounds of fish caught in the Illinois river 

 alone, with a net value of $279,482.07. 



Labor Statistics. The report of the factory in- 

 spectors for 1897 gave the total number of places 

 inspected as 11,705; total number of employees 

 therein, 270,271 men, 208.945, women, 52,067, and 

 children, 9,259; total amount of fines and costs, 

 $3.572.25; total employees in breweries, 2,079 ; to- 

 tal employees in brick, stone, and terra cotta, 2,308 

 per cent, children, 3.4; total employees in candies 

 and confections, 2,307 per cent, children, 10.4 ; to- 

 tal in cigars and cigarettes, 3,457 per cent, chil- 

 dren, 4.5: total in department stores, 17,754 per 

 cent, children, 12.1 ; total in food products, 22,731 

 per cent, children, 1.1 ; total garment makers, 31,- 

 565 per cent, children, 5.4; total in metal working, 

 44,923 per cent, children, 1.4 ; total in paper boxes, 

 1,401 per cent, children, 1 ; total in rubber goods, 

 2,090 per cent, children, 9.6 ; total workers in to- 

 bacco, 603 per cent, children, 8.2 ; total in wood- 

 working trades, 20,951 per cent, children, 3.4. 



The number of counties producing coal is 50 ; 

 number of mines and openings, 853 ; total output 

 of all mines in tons of 2,000 pounds, 20,072,758 ; ag- 



gregate home value of total product, $14,472,529; 

 total number of employees during the year, 33,788 ; 

 number at work on surface, 3,540 ; number at work 

 underground, 30,248 ; average price paid per ton 

 for mining, $0.5046 ; number of violent deaths 

 among miners in the year, 69. 



Arbitration. The State Board of Arbitration, 

 March 1,1898, gave the principal labor disturbance 

 as the great coal strike, which had for its purpose 

 an increase in the wages of miners, and affected the 

 entire bituminous-coal region of the country. The 

 board stood ready to do everything in its power to 

 bring about a settlement, but the scope of the 

 strike made all local arbitration unavailing; so a 

 union was made of the Illinois board with similar 

 boards from Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West 

 Virginia, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to 

 settle the difficulty at a joint conference. When it 

 was found that no immediate settlement was likely 

 to be secured the Illinois board returned home. 

 To correct a serious and general misapprehension, 

 the board defined Its functions for public informa- 

 tion thus : " The Board of Arbitration should be as 

 nearly as possible impartial. Provision is carefully 

 made that the employer and employee shall be 

 equally represented, and that the third member, as 

 nearly as practicable, shall be neutral. The first 

 aim of this board is to determine all controversies 

 wholly upon their merits." 



Pharmacy. The State Board of Pharmacy re- 

 ported the receipts for 1897 as $11,192.50 ; expendi- 

 tures, $10,773.46; balance on hand, $419.04; num- 

 ber of applicants examined, 643 ; number of certifi- 

 cates of registered pharmacists issued in 1897, 4,570 ; 

 number of permits to sell domestic remedies in 

 force in 1897, 1,526 ; number of prosecutions on 

 which fines were collected, 119; receipts from prose- 

 cutions, $2,842.19 ; expenditures for same, $3,203.69 ; 

 expenses over receipts for the year, $361.50. The 

 receipts for 1896 were $11,474.50, and the expendi- 

 tures were the same. 



Canals. The Canal Commissioners reported the 

 gross expenses for 1896 as $77,987 ; tolls, $32,100 ; 

 number of days canal was open, 229 ; number of 

 boats running, 67; number of miles run, 167,280; 

 number of tons transported, 446,762. 



Peace Jubilee. On Oct. 21, 1898, 5,000 persons 

 witnessed the formal inauguration of the peace 

 jubilee in the Auditorium at Chicago. At the jubi- 

 lee ball $25,000 was realized for the benefit of sol- 

 diers and sailors. 



Grand Army of the Republic. At the close of 

 1898 Illinois had 570 Grand Army of the Republic 

 posts and 23,999 members; receipts during the 

 year, $37,195: expenditures, $14,694; assets, $11,- 

 385 ; invested in United States bonds, $16,000. 



Disaster. A break in the levee of the Mississippi 

 river at Shawneetown, April 4, 1898, flooded 4 

 miles of valley land, destroyed 150 houses in Shaw- 

 neetown at a loss of $300,000 worth of property, 

 and drowned 24 persons. 



Decisions. The State Supreme Court on Dec. 

 22, 1898, decided that the school board employees 

 of Chicago come under the civil service law. The 

 justice said : " It seems clear to us that the Board of 

 Education of the city of Chicago is still connected 

 with, dependent upon, and to some extent a part 

 of the municipal government of the city, and, as 

 such, that its offices and places of employment fall 

 within the operation of the civil service act." 



A ruling of the same court declared the union- 

 labor-contract clause in the public works to be 

 illegal. 



A ruling of the court regarding the validity of 

 a marriage declared that the law of the State in 

 which the marriage was celebrated must be fol- 

 lowed. 





