NEW JERSEY. 



The report of the State Librarian gives an ac- 

 count of the beneficent influence of the State library 

 in connection with the schools. There are 48,986 

 volumes in the library ; there was an average at- 

 tendance of 43 pupils a day five days in the week 

 for nine months, with the average use of 50 volumes 

 daily, being a total for the year of 7,740 pupils, with 

 the use of 9,000 volumes. 



The State Prison. The convict population of 

 the State Prison at the close of 1897 was 1,131, 

 greater by 108 than in the preceding year. The in- 

 crease in number of prisoners was due to the fact 

 that an arrangement was made about the beginning 

 of the year to receive and maintain a limited num- 

 ber of United States prisoners sentenced by courts 

 outside of the district of New Jersey, the United 

 States agreeing to pay a fair per diem for their 

 maintenance. Of this class, and of prisoners sen- 

 tenced by United States courts sitting within the 

 State, there were received during the year 126. The 

 highest number of inmates at any one time during 

 the year was 1,134, and the daily average was 1,075. 

 The total expenditures for maintenance of the pris- 

 oners during the year was $84,470.33. The average 

 number of men employed during the year upon 

 contract work was 425 ; the computed value of the 

 service of those engaged in ordinary labor was 45 

 cents per day, and of the skilled labor employed at 

 mechanical work 75 cents per day. In addition to 

 the outlay for maintenance there were the following 

 expenses : For salaries of deputies and minor offi- 

 cers, $84,404.73 ; for salaries of inspectors and exec- 

 utive officers, $9,500; for furniture and general 

 repairs, $6,940.41 ; for furniture and appliances for 

 new buildings, $2,876.64 ; for payments to convicts 

 upon their discharge, $1,459.50; total, $181,651.62. 

 Receipts amounted to $56,668.95 ; the expenditure 

 over revenue was $132,982.67. Net cost per capita 

 per annum, $123.71. 



The .Riparian Fund. The receipts of the Ripa- 

 rian fund from all sources for 1897 aggregated 

 $108,687.03. Grants of riparian land in fee were 

 made to the amount of $21,718.35. 



Factories and Wages. Returns from 349 estab- 

 lishments reporting gave $56,099,306 as the amount 

 of capital invested in manufactures, $33,080,224 as 

 the cost of raw material, $62,000.000 as the selling 

 price of goods produced, and $17,077,753 as the 

 amount paid out in wages. The average number of 

 employees in the 349 establishments was given as 

 42,644 ; the greatest number employed at one time 

 was 45,728, and the least number" 38,141, leaving 

 7.5S7 who were idle during some part of the year. 

 Weekly salaries were reported as follows : Under $5, 

 3,625 males, 5,296 females ; $5 or more, 1,433 males, 

 3,055 females ; $6 or more, 2,447 males, 2,496 fe- 

 males; $7 or more, 3,153 males, 1,673 females; $8 

 or more, 2.591 males, 1,155 females; $9 or more, 

 3.!::<5 males, 821 females; $10 or more, 4,296 males, 

 798 females ; $12 or more, 4,096 males, 360 females ; 

 $15 or more, 3,113 males, 123 females ; $20 or more, 

 1,451 males, 15 females. 



The State Hospital. The whole number of 

 cases under care during 1897 was 1,238 643 men 

 and 595 women. Of this number 167 (97 men and 

 70 women) were discharged ; recovered, 71 ; im- 

 proved, 21 ; unimproved or stationary, 5 ; escaped, 

 1 ; ami 70 (37 men and 33 women) died. At the 

 close of the year there remained under care 1,071 

 patients 546 men and 525 women. 



Dependent Children. The Legislature of 1896 

 constituted a commission called " The New Jersey 

 Commission on Defective, Delinquent, and Depend- 

 ent Children," and this body reported that there 

 were 445 dependent children in the various alms- 

 houses of the State; the number of children cared 

 for in the various homes and asylums was 3,005. 



NEW MEXICO. 



489 



Disabled Soldiers. There were 819 beneficia- 

 ries in the Soldiers' Home at Kearny in 1897. Of 

 this number 195 were discharged, 31 were dropped 

 from the rolls, and 41 died, leaving 552 at the close 

 of the year. The board of managers acted upon 

 215 applications during the year, of which number 

 49 were declined. The average age of the inmates 

 was sixty-four years. 



Vital Statistics. The number of deaths in the 

 State in the year ending June 30, 1897, was 29,822. 

 The estimated population of the State was 1,764,- 

 194, thus giving an annual death rate of 16.90 per 

 1,000, the lowest rate since 1889. The number of 

 deaths from the 10 chief preventable diseases was 

 9,427, as follows : Consumption, 3,327 ; diarrhceal 

 diseases of children. 3,450 ; diphtheria and croup, 

 1,382 ; typhoid fever, 478 ; whooping cough. 321 ; 

 scarlet fever, 203 ; measles, 156 ; malarial fever, 132 ; 

 erysipelas, 68 ; no deaths from smallpox. In allu- 

 sion to deaths from consumption the secretary of 

 the State Board of Health says in his report that 

 the deaths by consumption this year were 121 fewer 

 than during the previous year, and 255 fewer than 

 the average for the ten years 1887-'96. 



Decision. An act was passed by the General 

 Assembly in 1896 authorizing cities of the second 

 class to issue bonds for high-school purposes to the 

 amount of $180,000. The measure was voted upon 

 at the local spring election of 1896, and was adopt- 

 ed by a large majority. Pending negotiations for 

 properties on which to build, the entire matter was 

 removed to the Supreme Court on a writ of certio- 

 rari. and the law of 1896 was declared unconstitu- 

 tional. 



Political. At the November election the State 

 was carried by the Republicans, who elected Foster 

 M. Voorhees Governor by a plurality of 11,632. The 

 net Republican pluralities on the votes for Congress- 

 men amounted to 10,429. 



Legislation. The following are among the acts 

 passed by the late session of the General Assembly : 



Providing that taxes may be paid in cities in two 

 installments instead of at one time. 



Providing that no deduction shall be made from 

 the assessed valuation of bank stock by reason of 

 any indebtedness to any State or national bank. 



Providing for the selection of a series of plans to 

 be used in public schoolhouses throughout the 

 State. 



Requiring an official investigation before persons 

 are committed to insane asylums. 



Providing that a married man living in separa- 

 tion from his wife by written agreement may trans- 

 fer property without her signature. 



Giving surrogates and clerks of first class coun- 

 ties salaries in lieu of fees. 



Appropriating $2,000 and authorizing the Gov- 

 ernor to appoint two persons to erect a monument 

 at Andersonville, Ga., in honor of soldiers from New 

 Jersey who perished there. 



Enabling towns to issue bonds for $50,000 for 

 school buildings. 



Making it a misdemeanor to furnish newspapers 

 or other publications with any libelous statement 

 untrue in fact. 



NEW MEXICO, a Territory of the United States, 

 organized Sept. 9, 1850 ; area, 122,580 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial census, 

 was 61,547 in 1850; 93,516 in 1860; 91,874 in 1870; 

 119.565 in 1880; and 153,593 in 1890. Capital, 

 Santa Fe. 



Government. The following were the Terri- 

 torial officers : Governor, Miguel Antonio Otero ; 

 Secretary, George H. Wallace ; Treasurer, Samuel 

 Eldodt ; Auditor, M. Garcia ; Adjutant General, 

 H. B. Hersey, succeeded by William H. Whiteman 

 in May ; Solicitor-General, E. L. Bartlett ; Superin- 



