NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



543 



preme Court, $20,315.05; State Library, $17,424.- 

 80; Asylum for the Insane, $15,014.84; Industrial 

 School, $6,182.62; State Prison, $3,01)7.57; College 

 of Agriculture, $6,524.15; Normal School, $10,- 

 560.11; .Railroad Commissioners, $8,730.00; P>ank 

 Commissioners, $10,032.70; National Guard, $29,- 

 999.56; Board of Agriculture, $5,475.47; Board of 

 Equalization, $2,389.90; Board of Health, $7,- 

 194.76; Forestry Commission, $1,140.58; Labor 

 Bureau, $3,525.04. 



The State debt was reduced during the year 

 by $32,589.56, leaving the net indebtedness June 

 1, 1899, $1,335,068.05. The trust funds are: Fiske 

 legacy, $26,378.43; Kimball legacy, $6,753.49; 

 teachers' institute fund, $58,668.98; Agricultural 

 College fund, $80,000; unclaimed savings bank de- 

 posits, $2,096.19; Benjamin Thompson trust fund, 

 $517,834.02; Benjamin Thompson State trust fund, 

 $33,018.34; Hamilton Smith trust fund, $10,000; 

 total, $734,749.45. The total expenditures on 

 account of the Soldiers' Home for the year ending 

 May 31, 1899, were $15,626.25; received from the 

 United States during the year as above, $7,227. 



The Treasurer says in his report : " The results 

 of the operations of the treasury department the 

 past year have been generally satisfactory, and 

 the close of the year finds the treasury in a "strong 

 condition. The reduction of the State debt has 

 not been as large as for the past three years, owing 

 to two causes: First, the reduction of the State 

 tax in the sum of $75,000, and second, the ex- 

 penses on account of the Spanish war, which 

 have all been charged to the extraordinary ex- 

 pense account during the year to the amount of 

 $110,018.66, no part of which has been reim- 

 bursed by the United States. Notwithstanding 

 this unusual expenditure, the balance has been 

 on the right side and the State debt reduced 

 $32,589.56." 



Banks. There are under the supervision of the 

 Bank Commissioners 80 savings banks, 13 State 

 banks and trust companies, 10 of which have 

 savings departments, 17 building and loan asso- 

 ciations organized under the general laws, and 

 2 building and loan associations organized under 

 special charters the Granite State Provident As- 

 sociation, now in the hands of an assignee, and 

 the Citizens' Building and Loan Association of 

 Manchester, in liquidation by vote of its directors. 

 Of the 80 savings banks, 28 are in liquidation, 

 as are 4 of the 13 trust companies. 



The liabilities of the savings banks and savings 

 departments of the trust companies that were 

 in active business June 30, 1899, were: Amount 

 due depositors, $52,131,878.75; guarantee fund, 

 $2,964,930.30; interest, $1,159,803.82; miscellane- 

 ous indebtedness, $2,000 $56,258,612.87 ; premi- 

 um, $3,491,632.17; total, $59,750,245.04, showing 

 an increase in bank deposits of $2,570,148.05, 

 against an increase of about $80,000 for the year 

 1898 a fair index of the prosperity of the State in 

 ' 1899. 



The total accumulations of the building and 

 loan associations organized under the general laws 

 were, on June 30, 1899, $1,921,927.88. Of this sum, 

 there is invested in loans on local real estate, 

 $1,755,495.93; loans on shares, $52,440.50; cash on 

 hand and on deposit. $42,074.09. 



The total withdrawals during the year were as 

 follow: Dues (capital), $164,272.50; profits, $34,- 

 826.77; dues retired, $127,745; profits retired, $51,- 

 070.69; dues matured, $46,748; profits matured, 

 $28,912.80; profits forfeited, $3,723.57; total dues 

 withdrawn, retired, and matured, $342,081.50; 

 total profits withdrawn, retired, and matured, 

 $115,217.83. 



Two cases of financial wrongdoing were un- 



earthed in the year, one in the Colcbrook Guar- 

 antee Savings Hank, involving $18,705.94; the 

 other in the Cochecho Savings l',;ml< of Dover. In 

 the former case, the deficit was made good by 

 the stockholders, and the bank continues busi- 

 ness; in the latter, the bank goes into liquida- 

 tion. 



Insurance. The report of the Insurance Com- 

 missioner for the year ending Dec. :j|, 1H98, shows 

 that 9 companies 7 of other States and 2 of 

 other countries were admitted during the vear. 

 One is conducted on the mutual and H on 

 the stock plan. A recapitulation of the busi- 

 ness of the New Hampshire companies, 30 in 

 number, gives these figures: Risks written, $41,- 

 887,421.13; premiums received, $527,888.1(5; losses 

 paid, $233,112.53. The transactions of the Grange 

 Mutual Company extend over the whole State, 

 but insurance is written by it only on property 

 belonging to members of the order of that name. 

 Sixty-nine foreign fire and marine insurance 

 companies (of other States and countries), in- 

 cluding four mutuals, have done business in the 

 State as follow: Risks written, $49,511,494.67; 

 premiums received, $641,979.14; losses paid, $384,- 

 347.03. Total business of all authorized com- 

 panies: Risks written, $91,398,915.80; premiums 

 received, $1,169,807.30; losses paid, $617,459.56. 

 The number of fires reported for the year 1898 

 was 467, against 403 reported for 1897. 



The business of 18 authorized fidelity and 

 casualty companies was: Risks written, $16,- 

 161,151.03; premiums received, $85,418.95; losses- 

 paid, $26,703.73. No changes have taken place 

 among the life insurance companies. The New 

 Hampshire 'business of the 23 authorized com- 

 panies for the year was: Premiums received, 

 $956,309.85; losses paid, $381,879.30; policies 

 issued (2,964), $3,867,335.01; policies in force 

 (18,843), $30,402,181.82. 



Six assessment life associations had 1,538 poli- 

 cies in force, amounting to $3,065,648; assess- 

 ments, etc., were paid to the amount of $83,- 

 163.44; while the losses and claims paid amounted 

 to $63,359. Nine assessment casualty companies 

 had 4,730 risks in force, amounting to $3,785,- 

 150; assessments paid, $48,903.32; losses and 

 claims paid, $23,712.10. Fraternal beneficiary 

 associations to the number of 29 a reduction of 

 six since 1897 report 18,803 certificates in force; 

 amount received from assessments, $291,299.80; 

 and losses and claims paid to the amount of 

 $297,332.24. 



Railroads. The report of the Railroad Com- 

 missioners for 1899 says that the business de- 

 pression which so diminished the earnings of all 

 American railroads and seriously crippled those 

 that were not very strong in 1893 and 1894 was. 

 not overcome until the spring of 1899, when the 

 recovery came suddenly and with great force. The 

 returns, therefore, for the year ending June 30 

 1899, cover .but a few weeks of prosperity, and 

 show but a moderate improvement in earnings. 

 Since then, however, our roads have had an im- 

 mense traffic, especially in freight, the volume 

 of which has been fully up to their ability to 

 handle it promptly. 



The report contains the returns of 23 steam 

 railroad and 8 street railway corporations doing 

 business in the State June 30, 1899. and the find- 

 ings, decisions, and orders in 69 cases heard by 

 the board during the year. 



Taken together, the earnings of the four sys- 

 tems of steam railroads which include nearly all 

 the mileage of the State the Boston and Maine, 

 the Fitchburg, the Atlanta and St. Lawrence, 

 and the Maine Central were respectively $32,- 



