168 



COLORADO. 



A resolution was adopted calling upon the 

 Legislature to take some speedy action looking 

 toward the payment of the excess warrants. 



Other resolutions were adopted calling for the 

 taxation of mining property on the same schedule 

 as other real estate, instead of on a fifth of the 

 gross output of the mine; providing for a col- 

 lateral-inheritance tax: for the appointment by 

 the Governor of a revenue commission, which 

 shall report ways and means of revenue reform 

 to the next meeting of the Legislature: a resolu- 

 tion providing that tax titles should not be is- 

 sued under five years, and that the rate of inter- 

 est on same should not exceed 15 per cent, per 

 annum : and one calling for the removal of mort- 

 gage taxation. 



Education. By the latest school report at 

 hand, it appears that the school population was 

 130,302. and the enrollment 100,882, while the 

 State Normal School had 367 students. 



The University of Colorado, according to a 

 Denver newspaper, is inferior in equipment to 

 that of any other State in the matter of build- 

 ings and library, has a smaller income, and pays 

 lower salaries. 'its income is $66,000: the total 

 value of its buildings is $150,000; it has no spe- 

 cial library building, and only 20,000 volumes 

 in its library, and pays but $2,500 annually for 

 books. The* enrollment this year showed a gain 

 of 15 per cent, over that of 1897-'98. 



Mining. The report of the Commissioner of 

 the General Land Office, made public in Novem- 

 ber, says of the State : " The localities showing 

 the greatest activity in the mining industry are 

 principally Cripple Creek mining district, in El 

 Paso and'Teller Counties (Pueblo land district) ; 

 Boulder, Clear Creek, and Gilpin Counties (Den- 

 ver land district) ; Lake and Park Counties (Lead- 

 ville land district) ; and upper San Miguel County 

 (Montrose land district), all in Colorado." 



Many new strikes have been reported during 

 the year in these districts, and increased activity 

 in old mines. The daily product of ore from the 

 mines of the Leadville district had reached 2,000 

 tons in the summer. Strikes in the Cripple Creek 

 district have led to the prediction that the total 

 yield of gold of 1899 will be increased to $25,000,- 

 000. Gold was found in a tunnel that was driven 

 through Pike's Peak to increase the water supply 

 of Colorado City, and a camp called Dawson City 

 has risen on the spot, five miles from Colorado 

 City. New strikes of copper have been reported 

 from the Paradox valley. Whitehorn is spoken 

 of as likely to be one of the great gold camps of 

 the State. That part of the Leadville district 

 southwest and west of the city, across the Arkan- 

 sas valley and tributary to the Carbonate camp, 

 is said to be a large field of rich possibilities. It is 

 in Lake, Chaffee, Gunnison, and Pitkin Counties. 



The Commissioner of Mines recently made a 

 report on the minerals of the State other than 

 gold, silver, lead, and copper, in which he says 

 that Colorado has large deposits of gypsum of 

 great commercial importance. 



The value of the product of the principal metals 

 in 1898 was given as follows: Gold, $27,501,460; 

 silver, $14,961,587; copper, $1,204,514; lead, $3,- 

 442,001. The smelters and other ore-reduction 

 works produced $60,622,415. 



The coal product was placed at $7,500,000, iron 

 at $5,000,000, and oil at $1,750,000. Zinc is to be 

 shipped from Leadville to Belgium. 



The gold output of the Cripple Creek district 

 in October, 1899, was given as a little more than 

 $2,000,000. 



Other Products. The following figures, giv- 

 ing the number and value of the live stock in 



the State, are from the Denver Times- Sun of 

 Jan. 4: Number of cattle, 766,224; sheep, 1,236,- 

 547; hogs, 50,000; horses and mules, 328,000. 

 Value of cattle, $15,324,480; sheep, $4,946,178; 

 hogs, $350,000; horses and mules, $9,840,000; 

 total, $30,460,658. 



The secretary of the National Live Stock As- 

 sociation says that though the number of sheep 

 in 1899 was but about 1,250,000 head, fewer than 

 in previous years, the herds have been greatly 

 improved, and are more profitable. He adds: 

 " While the sheep and wool-growing branches of 

 this industry are prosperous, the fattening of 

 lambs and sheep in the feeding districts of the 

 State has been all but ruined by the action of the 

 railways constituting the Trans-Missouri Traf- 

 fic Association in abrogating the feeding-in-transit. 

 rate of live stock and increasing the rate from 

 the breeding grounds to market about $30 per 

 car. This makes feeding in many sections pro- 

 hibitive. In the famous Fort Collins district, 

 whose lambs always top every market in the 

 United States, over 300,000 lambs were fed last 

 year. This coming season it is very doubtful if 

 100,000 will be fed simply because of high freight 

 rates." 



The lumber product was estimated at $2,000,- 

 000, and the manufactures at $50,000,000. 



The cheese industry is estimated to produce- 

 the value of more than $1,000,000 annually. 



About 3,000 colonies of bees are kept in Otero 

 County, producing about $16,000 a year. A fine 

 quality of honey is made from alfalfa, the favor- 

 ite food of the bees. 



According to the report of the Agricultural De- 

 partment at Washington, the State produced in 

 1898 spring wheat to the amount of 6,729,565 

 bushels, ranking ninth among the States in this, 

 respect. 



Great progress has been made in the beet-sugar 

 industry during the eleven years in which the 

 people of the State have been interested in it. 

 Factories are assured at Grand Junction and 

 Greeley, and other localities are working in that 

 direction. The offer of $2,000 in prizes by the 

 Denver Chamber of Commerce and $4,000 by the 

 railroads has stimulated effort for the establish- 

 ment of factories. The Business Men's Beet- 

 sugar Association of Grand Junction made an 

 appeal in March for 500 farmers to settle in the 

 Grand Valley, where they could buy cheap homes 

 and make a net income estimated at $300 to 

 $700 by raising beets to supply the factory. 



The wool clip of 1899 is estimated at 10,126,175 

 pounds, an average yield of 6.5 pounds a head. 



Water Power. The following data regarding 

 the power of the streams of the State are taken 

 from the Denver Times-Sun: "The water-power 

 streams are scattered over an area of 3,000 square 

 miles. Colorado's water power is available, in 

 segregated blocks, from 10,000 miles of mountain 

 streams. The fall of these streams ranges from 

 a few hundred to over 7,000 feet. The power 

 streams of the mountains annually waste over 

 5,000,000 horse power of energy, of winch about 

 1,000,000 horse power is commercially available. 

 Long-distance electric transmission has brought 

 the remotest water powers within marketable 

 range. The mountain topography affords many 

 natural reservoir sites for the installation of large 

 power units. The market for water power is 

 rapidly enlarging. Over 70,000 horse power is 

 projected for installation in the immediate fu- 

 ture." 



The Ute Reservation. A proclamation open- 

 ing to settlement the lands of the Southern Ute- 

 reservation was signed in April by the President,, 



