464 



MONTANA. 



adding together the outstanding warrants on Dec. 

 1, 1898, and the total deficiencies, we have $379.- 

 019.64 ; from which subtract the cash on hand, $2.70, 

 and we have the net indebtedness of the State, 

 amounting to $379,916.94, which is to be paid by 

 the uncollected taxes of 1898. 



Admitting that the taxes for 1898 would not ex- 

 ceed those of 1896, we have notwithstanding gained 

 $16.855.50 on the indebtedness of the State, besides 

 maintaining several institutions during the past 

 two years which were not in existence prior to 1897. 



The inheritance tax yielded $136.56 in 1897, and 

 $6,912.72 in 1898. 



The tax on insurance companies and the licenses 

 amounted to $31,019.90 in 1897 and $41,857.42 in 

 1898. 



The total valuation of property in the State in 

 181)8 was $133.969,519, an increase of $3,212,107 

 over that of the preceding year. The railroad valu- 

 ation was $13,793,581 ; personal property, $51.627,- 

 517 ; real property, $68.548,421. The figures for the 

 whole State on some of the different classes of prop- 

 erty taxed are as follow: Cattle (all classes), $11,- 

 546.885 ; sheep, $5,072,641 ; net proceeds of mines, 

 $8,531,251 ; goods, wares and merchandise, $5,457,- 

 908: horses (all classes), $3,177,274; mortgages, 

 bonds, etc., $2,712.722. 



The interest paid by State and counties on float- 

 ing debts is $82,140.96; interest paid by counties, 

 school districts, and cities on bonded debt. $322,- 

 006.84 ; interest paid by cities on floating debt (esti- 

 mated), $42,000; total annual interest on public 

 del.t of State, $446,149.80. 



Education. The school population is 49,478. 



A special election held in Helena to ascertain the 

 wishes of the voters upon the proposition of levying 

 a special tax of H mill f r the purpose of main- 

 taining the public schools the full school year re- 

 sulted in the defeat of the proposition by 141 votes, 

 out of a total of 1,396. 



The receipts from sales of State lands were di- 

 vided among the educational funds as follow: Per- 

 manent school fund, $37,7^9.96 ; school income fund, 

 $52.585.22; permanent university fund, $4.727.90 ; 

 I' Diversity Bond fund, $8,804.55; State Capitol 

 Building fund, $3,088.72; School of Mines fund, 

 $2.147.48; Normal School fund, $0,342.46; Agri- 

 cultural College fund. $3.044; Deaf and Dumb 

 Asylum fund, $2,403.1)0. 



In accordance with an act of the last Legislature 

 two buildings have been erected for the State Uni- 

 versity at Missoula, at a cost of $80.000. 



The buildings for the Normal School and the 

 Agricultural College have been finished. The Nor- 

 mal School, which has been in operation about two 

 years, has 80 pupils, and the Agricultural College 

 about 200. The building for the School of Mines, 

 at But to, is ready for occupation, but funds have 

 not been provided for starting and maintaining the 

 BohooL 



An investigation was held by the State Board of 

 Education in July into charges against the State 

 Superintendent, to the effect that he had hired a 

 stenographer in his office at $50 a month, and that 

 he authorized her to collect $125 a month from the 

 State for her services, intending that she should re- 

 tain $50 thereof for herself and turn the balance 

 over to him. M r. ( 'arleton admitted t his, but alleged 

 that he intended to use such monthly balance for 

 furniture and expenses of his department of the 

 State government. The board declared that the 

 proceeding was illegal ; on the question whether he 

 intended to use the $75 for himself or for the State, 

 the vote was a tie. 



Exercises were held at Anaconda, June 11, in 

 connection with the formal presentation to the city 

 of a library and building by Mrs. Phoebe Hearst. 



The State law library, now at the courthouse of 

 Lewis and Clarke County, comprises more than 12,- 

 000 books and pamphlets. 



The Helena public library has, besides 500 peri- 

 odicals and a large number of pamphlets, unbound, 

 more than 21,300 bound volumes. 



Charities and Corrections. The Asylum for 

 the Insane cost the State $130,822.80 for the year 

 ending Nov. 30, 1897, and $117,056.15 the succeed- 

 ing year. Of the patients received in 1898, 36 per 

 cent, were discharged as cured, or 9.9 per cent, of 

 the whole population of the asylum. The increase 

 during the year was 45; the whole number, Nov. 

 30, was 457, of whom 99 were women. There were 

 28 deaths in the past year. 



The blind, the deaf and dumb, and the feeble- 

 minded are provided for in a single institution, for 

 which a new building has been completed recently 

 at Boulder. 



The fifth annual report of the Orphans' Home 

 shows that 145 have been admitted since the open- 

 ing, of whom 35 were placed in homes, 34 were re- 

 turned to relatives, 2 were discharged as able to 

 support themselves, and 2 died. In the year 31 

 were admitted and 80 were present at its close. 

 The summary of expenditures for the year shows 

 that it cost $16,129.75 to run the institution for the 

 fiscal year, including $3,135.47 spent on the school 

 building. The total estimated value of the products 

 of the farm during the year was $1,503. 



The Soldiers' Home, which has been opened 

 within the biennial period just past, has about 50 

 inmates. 



A new penitentiary building has been completed 

 at Deer Lodge. The number of convicts is 369. 

 The cost of their care during the year ending No\ . 

 30 was $52,229.50. 



The biennial report of the State Reform School, 

 at Miles City, shows that the gross expenses for 1897 

 were $20,11879, and for 1898 $19,541.27. The 

 school has 73 inmates, 61 boys, and 12 girls. Dur- 

 ing 1897 19 boys and 5 girls were admitted, and in 

 1898 25 boys and 3 girls. During 1897 19 boys and 

 3 girls were discharged, and during the present year 

 12 boys and 4 girls were paroled. The aggregate 

 cost of transporting prisoners from the different 

 counties during the past two years has been $13.- 

 992.10, and the number of prisoners taken to the 

 Penitentiary was 264. 



Military. The quota of the State for the Span- 

 ish war was 524, but 1,366 men were furnished, a 

 regiment of infantry and a squadron of cavalry. 

 The infantry were sent to the Philippines, and had 

 lost 7 men by the close of the year. The cavalry 

 were not in service, but spent the summer at Chick- 

 amauga Park, and were mustered out in September. 

 Their loss is given as 4 men. The militia of the 

 State now consists of 1 battery. The number of 

 men eligible for miytary service* in the State is esti- 

 mated at 27,494. 



Banks. The value of bank stocks, notes, and 

 solvent credits in the State, as assessed for taxation 

 in 1898, was $3,035.016, and the cash assessment ol 

 the State was $1,080.522. 



The report of the 21 national banks in Febnian 

 showed that since the date of the last report. Dec. 

 15. total resources decreased from $16.631,780 t 

 $14,818,911; loans and discounts decreased froii 

 $7,737,549 to $7,682.:;::2 : reserve decreased from 

 $4,896,030 to $3,882.833, of which gold holdings 

 increased from $640,717 to $738.932. The deposit- 

 decreased from $11,119.459 to $9.976.116, and th< 

 average reserve held decreased from 45.20 per cent 

 to 40.14 per cent. 



Insurance. The receipts for the insurance de 

 partment were eight times the amount received ir 

 1896, the last year under the old law. That year 



