472 



NEBRASKA. 



WILUAM A. POYNTER, 

 GOVERNOR OF NEBRASKA. 



$2.564,753.26, leaving a balance Nov. 30, 1898, of 

 $51.67. 



The sinking fund, balance and receipts, amounted 

 to $535,727.55 ; by payment of bonds and interest 

 and transfer to another account, $521,504.51 was 

 disbursed. 



The permanent school fund, balance and receipts, 

 amounted to $1,187,(5~>4.47 : disbursements to $949,- 

 18H.44. The total of the balance and receipts of the 



temporary school 

 ^BB' fund was $1.706,- 



555.90. and of dis- 

 bursements $1,- 

 441.066.65. 



At the close of 

 business Nov. 30, 

 1894,theStatedebt 

 amounted to $1,- 

 188,575.59. For 

 the biennium end- 

 ing Nov. 30, 1896, 

 it was $2,463,- 

 709.95. Nov. 30, 

 1898, the debts of 

 the State amount- 

 ed to $1,724,951.36. 

 The delinquent 

 State taxes have 

 increased during 

 the past two years 

 from $3,384,559.94 

 to $3,483.073.73. 

 The assets of the State as given by the Auditor 

 are: Cash in treasury, $624,523.43; uncollected 

 taxes, $3,483,073.73; 'suspended account, $665,- 

 240.74 ; permanent educational fund investments, 

 $3,580,030.21 : total, $8,352,867.11. 



The assessed valuation of the State has been 

 lowered since 1892 by more than $27.000.000. It 

 was $167,810.764.79 in 1898. The general fund levy 

 is limited to 5 mills. 



Education. The school population is 366,069. 

 The amount of State money appropriated in De- 

 cember was $300,816. The principal sources of the 

 fund were : State tax, $73,057.92 ; interest on State 

 bonds, $7,230.69; interest on county bonds, $05,- 

 002.HS: interest on school lands sold, $100,233.65; 

 interest on school lands leased, $43.697.24. 



A new building for the department of mechanic 

 arts was dedicated at the State University, Oct. 28. 

 More than 160 new students were entered during 

 the opening days of the fall term. 



The State Normal School had a larger enrollment 

 at the beginning of the school year than it has ever 

 had at the corresponding time "in other years; 333 

 were registered in the normal department. A new 

 dormitory was opened in September. 



Charities and Corrections. The Lincoln Hos- 

 pital for the Insane had 351 patients at the begin- 

 ning of the biennial term ; 447 were admitted dur- 

 the two years and 468 discharged. Of the number 

 discharged 164 were transferred to Hastings and to 

 various counties. The proportion of recoveries re- 

 corded is 21 per cent. The annual patient popula- 

 tion is 360. The appropriation for the term was 

 $119,990. The annual cost for a patient was$170.68. 

 The asylum at Hastings is used for the chronic 

 insane, those at Lincoln and Norfolk for patients 

 not deemed incurable. 



The Soldiers' Home, at Grand Island, had a mem- 

 bership of 274, Nov. 30, of whom 47 were absent, 

 41 of those present were women, 40 died during 

 the previous two years, and 65 were discharged. 

 The last Legislature appropriated for this home 

 $76.470, of which $61.043 had been expended. 



The School for the Deaf and Dumb, at Omnha, 

 had 214 pupils during the biennial term. The 



number admitted was 47, and the number graduated 

 was 10. The capacity of the institution is 140 pu- 

 pils. The average cost per capita for two years was 

 $366.83. The aggregate salaries of teachers and 

 employees was $29,600. The number of deaf and 

 dumb children of school age reported from 29 

 counties who have never attended school is 42. 

 The biennial estimate submitted aggregates $135,- 

 000, which is $80,000 more than was appropriated 

 two years ago. 



The superintendent of the Kearney Industrial 

 School for Boys thinks 85 per cent, of the boys pa- 

 roled and discharged have become honorable citi- 

 zens and useful members of society. Since 1881, 

 when the school was completed, 1,202 boys have 

 been received and 1,051 boys have been paroled or 

 taken out by legal process. The institution for the 

 two years ending March 30, 1897, had $105,000 at 

 its disposal. In 1897 the Legislature appropriated 

 $81,650. 



There were 290 prisoners in the Penitentiary, Nov. 

 30. The cooperage contractor now employs 110 

 prisoners. The broom contractors employ 95 

 prisoners. A shoe shop employing 7 prisoners has 

 been established by the State. Shoes are manu- 

 factured for the Penitentiary and other State in- 

 stitutions. 



The last Legislature appropriated $60,000 as a 

 maintenance fund for the Penitentiary, of which 

 $40,549 remains unexpended, $19,324 having been 

 left from the previous term. The warden collected 

 $44,474 for convict labor, deposited it with the State 

 Treasurer, and drew out $44,240, leaving only $234 

 in the labor fund. He commends the convict parole 

 law, and recommends purchase of more farm land. 



Military. The strength of the National Guard 

 in April was given as 2,500 men. It is proposed to 

 reorganize the Guard, since the State at the close of 

 the year had only the Weymore Battery in its service. 

 The First and Second Regiments and a troop of 

 cavalry were called for by the Government, and 

 after they left the service of the State honorable 

 discharges were issued to officers and men, includ- 

 ing those who failed to pass the physical examina- 

 tion required by the Government mustering officers. 

 The Adjutant General proposes to have a guard of 

 2.000 in 3 regiments, and estimates that the Slate 

 should appropriate $82,000 for maintenance for two 

 years, $22,800 for rent of armories, and $66,697 for 

 clothing and equipments to take the place of those 

 turned over to the Government for the war. the 

 value of which will in time be returned to the State. 



Banks. The report made by the Comptroller of 

 the Currency showing the condition of national 

 banks in Nebraska at the close of business on July 

 14 in comparison with the statement made on May 

 5 showed an increase of over a million dollars in 

 the totals. Loans and discounts aggregate s 1 "2. -I ">!>.- 

 768; lawful money reserve, $1,202,245; deposits, 

 $13.683,807 ; and average reserve, 4.12 per cent. 



The president and vice-president of the First Na- 

 tional Bank of Neligh were arrested in December 

 charged with violationsof the Federal banking law *. 

 The cashier, who was indicted with them, lias disap- 

 peared. The bank failed in October. 



The State was non-suited Dec. 24 in tlio ca-e 

 brought to recover $201.000 from the Omaha Na- 

 tional Bank and the Chemical National Hank of 

 New York. The suit was to recover the money f<>r 

 embezzling for which ex-State Treasurer Bnrllex i- 

 serving time. 



A final dividend was declared in June in favor of 

 the creditors of the national bank of Beatrice, 

 making in all 64.4 per cent., or $123,856. 



Loan Associations. The number of these in 

 1897-'98 was 68: the membership, 11.821 ; and tliu 

 assets, $3,554,788 a decrease of $217,045. 



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