686 



OREGON. 



$1,914,548.14; the disbursements, $1,930.030.04; 

 balance Dec. 31, $741,316.43. 



The valuation of property for taxation was 

 $133,533,571 in 1898, and the tax levyjor 1899 

 based on this valuation was $701.141.37. at the 

 rate of 5.7 mills. The valuation in ISO!) was 

 $120,287,879. 



The State Land Board sold 114.045 aero* in 

 1899, and paid into the several funds $321,428.00. 

 The value of mortgages discharged was $402, 

 002.98; the values of loans approved. $830,700.25. 



Education. The school population is 132.408; 

 the enrollment in public schools the past year, 

 85,230; average attendance, 01.234. The num- 

 ber of teachers was 3,075, of whom 2.558 were 

 women. The value of school property was $2,- 

 871,718.34, not including furniture, which was 

 $285.774.95, and apparatus, $110,502.24. The 

 average monthly salary of men teaching was 

 $42.00; of women. $34.81. The receipts amounted 

 to $1,327,781.59; the disbursements, $1,259,125.38, 

 of which $820.385.47 was for teachers' salaries. 



The State Normal School at Moninouth gradu- 

 ated a class of 35 in June; the one at Drain, 12; 

 and the Weston State Normal School, 10. 



The report of the Agricultural College, at Cor- 

 vallis, shows that 338 students were enrolled in 

 the year ending in June, not including those in 

 the farmers' short course, which bring the num- 

 ber to 440. The funds received amounted to $102,- 

 587, and the expenditures to $90,420. A sub- 

 freshman class has been added for preparatory 

 work. There were 34 graduates in the several de- 

 partments. 



The State University received $44.9(53.43. and 

 expended $44.037.80. The Legislature reduced 

 the rate of interest on the university land fund 

 from 8 to per cent., and the Yillard fund 1ms 

 been converted into 4-per-cent. bonds; this lias so 

 lessened the income that all tutors and assistants 

 have been dispensed with, and a reduction of the 

 faculty is contemplated. The number of students 

 was 206, of whom 84 were women. In June 44 

 were graduated. 



Pacific University, at Forest Grove, has new 

 buildings, and had an increased attendance the 

 past year, 62 more than during the year preced- 

 ing. "The Pacific College, at Newburg, graduated 

 21 in June; McMinnville College, 8; Willamette 

 University, 16. 



Charities and Corrections. The manage- 

 ment of the Soldiers' Home, at Roseburg, was 

 by act of the Legislature taken from the trustees 

 and placed in the hands of the Governor. He is 

 to prescribe the rules, appoint the officers, and 

 have general supervision. There were 90 inmates 

 in November. 



At the insane asylum 1,170 patients were re- 

 ported in December, of whom 370 were women. 

 The expenses were $133,952.33 for the supplies 

 and salaries this year. No payment is accepted 

 for any patient. 



There were 322 convicts in the Penitentiary at 

 the time of the last biennial report; one was a 

 woman. In 1897-'98 the institution received from 

 the legislative appropriation $86.592.66, most of 

 which was used. The Reform School had 99 in- 

 mates at the beginning of the year. 



Industries and Products. From a table of 

 Oregon statistics of 1899 published in The Ore- 

 gonian are taken the following: Corn 344161 

 bushels, $172,080; wheat, 23,649,334 bushels $10- 

 072,200; oats, 5,201,232 bushels, $1,560369- hay 

 1,142,293 tons, $6,853,758; potatoes, 5,126241 

 bushels, $1,537,872; wool, 18.028,270 pounds. $2,- 

 163.393; sugar beets, 11.295 tons, $50.827: hops 

 14,400,000 pounds, $1,296,000; poultry and eggs 



$4.512,719; fruit crop, $272,050; butter, cheese, 

 iind milk, $5,459.409; sales of stock, $9.500.<Hio : 

 rve and barley and miscellaneous, $1,500,000; 

 gold, $3.285,000; silver, $193,5)40; coal. $264, 1(53; 

 manufactured goods (including luinl>er), $50. 140,- 

 195; Columbia river salmon pack, 340.125 cases, 

 $1.800,775; salmon pack of Oregon coast streams, 

 74.332 cases. $271.532; fresh fish consumed locally 

 and shipped. 5.448,017 pounds, $370,848. Total, 

 $107.877.190. 



The exports of Portland amounted t 

 984: the imports, $1,646.819. 



Lands. The area of unsurveyed and surveyed 

 land, still unappropriated and not reserved, is 

 given as 35,897,896 acres. The area reserved is 

 5.407.702 acres. In 1899 540,423 acres of Govern- 

 ment land were sold. The forest reserves are: 

 Cascade Range Reserve, 4.492.800 acres; Hull Hun 

 Reserve, 142.080 acres; Ashland Reserve, Is. '.mi 

 acres. 



In November the Commissioner of the Lund 

 Office decided in favor of the settlers who had 

 taken up certain lands on the shore of Lake Mal- 

 heur by homestead entry. The lands have l>een 

 long in dispute. They were uncovered by the re- 

 cession of the waters of the lake, and were entered 

 upon by settlers as Government land. The owner- 

 of the original shores of the lake claimed the un- 

 covered land, on the ground that their title- 

 ered it, and sought to have the settlers dispo 

 sessed : but the decision is against them. 



A co-operative colony has bought 8.000 acre- at 

 Monroe, Ben ton County, in the Willamette \ al- 

 ley. It is called the Co-operative Christian I .d 

 eration. No. 1, and the intention is that, while 

 nonsectarian, the colony shall make the teach- 

 ings of Jesus the rule of action in all it- a Hair-. 

 The charter meml>ers are mostly from <)IV_M>II 

 and Washington, though some have come in t"im 

 other States. To be accepted as a member of the 

 community the applicant must be in gmd health 

 and of sound moral character. " Member-hip in 

 the federation gives free schools, free doctors and 

 nurses, and free homes. Free schools include 

 music and art and manual training in your 

 chosen trade or profession, and when you. t'mm 

 any cause, can no longer labor, your home re- 

 mains the same, your food and clothing the same. 

 your medicine, doctor, and nurse the same. And 

 if you die, your children have the same home. 

 schools, food and clothing, and medical ser\ ire 

 until eighteen years of age." 



Anniversaries. The completion of forty 

 years of statehood and fifty since the extension 

 of United States laws into Oregon Territory, was 

 celebrated in February by exercises in the I 

 lature. the army posts, and various educational 

 institutions. The building in which the conven- 

 tion met in August. 1857, to frame the State 

 Constitution is still standing in Salem. 



Exposition. The Oregon Industrial K\ posi- 

 tion opened at Portland in September. It repre- 

 sented the natural products and manufacture of 

 the entire north Pacific coast, and exhibited rep- 

 resentations of some of its character! -tie -< -enery. 



Legislative Session. The regular session 

 opened at Salem, Jan. 9. and closed Feb. 18. T. 

 C. Taylor was President of the Senate, and 1 

 Carter was Speaker of the Hon-e. 



Five amendments to the Constitution that were 

 proposed by former Legislatures were approved. 

 and will be submitted to vote in 1900. They are: 

 Increasing the number of Supreme Court jn 

 from 3 to 5: allowing woman suffrage: e-taMi-h- 

 ing regulations for reservoirs and water right*. 

 and for granting right of eminent domain to irri- 

 gation and drainage companies; limiting eity. 



