MICHIGAN. 



503 



ceding. The enrollment was 496,025. The aver- 

 age length of the school year was 8.12 months. 

 There were 403 private schools, with attendance 

 of 45,405. The aggregate wages of public-school 

 teachers were $4,140,450; men received on the 

 average $43.05 a month; women, $35.28. The 

 value of school property was $18,138,589, arid 

 3,382 libraries have 822,410 volumes. 



The Legislature of 1899 appropriated funds for 

 repairs and extensions at many of the State in- 

 stitutions. The following were the sums granted 

 to educational institutions: State Library, $4,375; 

 College of Mines, $64,687.50; Northern Normal 

 School, $27,500; Central Normal School, $74,250; 

 State Normal College, $109,275; Agricultural Col- 

 lege, $74,000; Michigan University, $279,275. 



The State Agricultural College, at Lansing, had 

 in attendance in October 524 students, an increase 

 of about 75 over the number at the same date 

 in 1898. " The addition of a course for women 

 three years ago was followed by a remarkable 

 increase in the attendance not only of young 

 women, but also of young men in both courses; 

 the addition this year of a five-year course for 

 mechanical students has been followed by about 

 the normal growth in the agricultural and 

 women's courses and by an increase of over 60 

 per cent, in the matriculations in the mechanical 

 course." 



A building for women is about to be erected. 

 It will cost $83,000, with $12,000 additional for 

 furnishings. A farm of 676 acres is used by the 

 college. 



Charities and Corrections. State charitable 

 and correctional institutions receive from the 

 State, according to the act of the Legislature 

 of 1899, as follow: Industrial Home for Girls, 

 $59,754.75; Industrial School for Boys, $126,900; 

 Upper Peninsula Prison, $16,989; State Reforma- 

 tory, $12,300; State Prison, $35,500; Michigan 

 Asylum for Insane, $12,432; Upper Peninsula 

 Asylum, $62,910; Northern Asylum, $50,550; 

 Eastern Asylum, $77,000; School for the Blind, 

 $41,143.75; School for the Deaf, $137,362.50; State 

 Public School, $55,016; Home for the Feeble- 

 minded, $119,435; Soldiers' Home, $162,250. Cur- 

 rent expenses of insane asylums, $503,350; cur- 

 rent expenses of prisons, $110,000. 



Charges of cruel punishments at the Adrian 

 Industrial School for Girls led to an investiga- 

 tion, and a change was made in the management. 

 There were 326 girls in the school in February. 



The shops of the Industrial School for Boys 

 were struck by lightning, June 5, and burned. 

 The institution has 650 inmates. 



Banks. The Bank Commissioner's report, 

 coming down to Sept. 7, 1899, shows the condi- 

 tion of the 187 State banks and 3 trust companies. 

 The increase in the year ending Sept. 7, 1899, is 

 shown as follows: In loans, discounts, bonds, and 

 mortgages, $11,956.861.48; in deposits, $14,742,- 

 858.67. 



Building and Loan Associations. From a 

 bulletin concerning the associations and their 

 business for the year ending in June it appears 

 that there has been a decrease of over $750,000 

 in the assets of the 73 associations reporting. 



Railroads. For the six months ending June 

 30 the total earnings of the railroads in the State 

 were $16,492,895.97, against $14,896,181.88 for the 

 corresponding period of 1898. 



Three of the railroads were consolidated this 

 year under the name " The Detroit and Pere Mar- 

 quette." The consolidated lines have a total of 

 1,769 miles, as follow: Flint and Pre Marquette, 

 704; Chicago and West Michigan, 614; Detroit, 

 Grand Rapids and Western, 451. 



Almost every important city in the State will 

 be reached through the one company. The total 

 stock of the new company is .$28,000,000, an in- 

 crease of $5,000,000. The bonded indebtedness 

 is $25,300,000, making the total indebtedness less 

 than $30,000 a mile. The net earnings of the 

 three roads in 1898 were $1,587,000. 



There are in all 10,211.78 miles of line owned 

 by 88 companies. The wages of employees have 

 been materially increased in the year in many 

 instances, section men and track laborers receiv- 

 ing as much as $1.75 a day. Jn the year 12 rail- 

 road companies, including reorganizations, and 

 14 electric companies filed articles of incorpora- 

 tion. Nearly all the latter will conduct inter- 

 urban business and compete with steam roads. 



The Copper Range Railway Company filed its 

 articles in February. It it capitalized at $5,000,- 

 000, and is to run through Houghton, Gogebic, 

 and Ontonagon Counties. 



Decisions. In July the State Supreme Court 

 decided against the validity of the so-called Mc- 

 Leod law, which authorized the appointment of 

 the Detroit Street Railway Commission, whose 

 object was the purchase and municipal owner- 

 ship and operation of the street railways of De- 

 troit. The decision is that the law is unconsti- 

 tutional; that there is no such office as the 

 " Detroit Street Railway Commission " ; that 

 Gov. Pingree and the other commissioners have 

 no title thereto; and that judgment of ouster 

 must be entered against them. 



The law requiring railroads to sell 1,000-mile 

 tickets for $20 was decided unconstitutional by 

 a majority of the United States Supreme Court 

 in April. It was declared to be discrimination 

 in favor of a few persons having occasion to 

 travel much on the roads at the expense of others 

 having less occasion to travel and unable to buy 

 a large amount of transportation at a time. 



In October the State Supreme Court gave an 

 opinion that a woman may not hold the office 

 of prosecuting attorney though elected to it, be- 

 cause not herself an elector, holding that, though 

 the law is silent on the subject, it must be so 

 understood. Justice Moore dissented from the 

 opinion of the majority of the court, holding 

 that, as the State concedes the right of women 

 to practice law, there is no reason why it should 

 not allow them to hold an office the duties of 

 which pertain almost wholly to the practice of 

 law. 



Insurance. The Insurance Commissioner in 

 March declared against what is known as " spe- 

 cial board agency contracts," by which a com- 

 pany would form a board of 200 to 400 members 

 living in different parts of the State. They were 

 supposed to be inactive agents, and the company 

 agreed to set aside $1 per $1,000 on each annual 

 premium every year and place it in a special fund 

 to be divided among those holding such contracts. 

 The commissioner directed all companies operat- 

 ing under the plan to abandon it. 



Legislative Session. The regular session of 

 the Legislature extended from Jan. 4 to June 24. 

 The Governor called a special session, which began 

 Dec. 18 and was not finished at the close of the 

 year. 



R. B. Loomis was President of the Senate; 

 Edgar J. Adams was Speaker of the House, and 

 George F. Gillam Speaker pro tempore. 



Julius C. Burrows was elected United States 

 Senator. Albert Pack was a candidate before 

 the Republican caucus for the nomination. D. 

 J. Campan was the Democratic candidate. 



A total of 1,789 bills and joint resolutions were 

 introduced, and more than 500 were passed. 



