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WASHINGTON. 



WASHINGTON, a Pacific coast State, ad- 

 mitted to the Union Nov. 11, 1889; area, 69,180 

 square miles. Population, according to the census 

 of 1890, 349,390. Capital, Olympia. 



Government. The State officers for the year 

 were: Governor, John R. Rogers; Lieutenant 

 Governor, Thurston Daniels; Secretary of State, 

 Will D. Jenkins; Treasurer, C. W. Young; Au- 

 ditor, Neal Cheatham; Commissioner of Public 

 Lands, Robert Bridges; Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction, Frank J. Browne; Attorney-General, 

 Patrick H. Winston all Populists except Win- 

 ston, who is a Silver Republican. Chief Justice 

 of the Supreme Court, Elmon Scott; Associate 

 Justices, T. J. Anders, M. J. Gordon, R. O. Dun- 

 bar, James B. Reavis, and Mark A. Fullerton. 



Finances. The last report of the Treasurer 

 was that which covers the period from Nov. 1, 

 1890, to Oct. 31, 1898. A summary of this, in- 

 cluding all the important items, was published 

 in the Annual Cyclopaedia for 1898, page 825. 

 The total receipts 'for the two years were $3,984,- 

 049.30; the total disbursements, $3,443,424.31. 



The bonded indebtedness of the State, Nov. 1, 

 1896, was $300,000; in each of the ensuing two 

 years bonds to the amount of $25,000 were re- 

 deemed, leaving the bonded indebtedness, Oct. 31, 

 1898, $250,000. Besides this, there were warrants 

 outstanding to the amount of $1,455,960.25, mak- 

 ing the total indebtedness of the State, Oct. 31, 

 1898, $1,705,969.25. The estimate of receipts for 

 the biennial term ending March 31, 1901, is 

 $1,663,000; and of expenditures, $1,035,400. 



Banks. Thirty-two State banks reported to 

 the Auditor in 1898. Their resources on May 31 

 of that year were as follow: Loans on real es- 

 tate, $316,015.35; loans on personal property, 

 $501,834.21; other loans and discounts, $1.851,- 

 258.47; stocks and bonds, $203,280.55; State, 

 county, and city warrants, $307,848.42; real es- 

 tate, $1,218,151.31; due from banks and bankers, 

 $1,235,137.56; furniture and fixtures, $64,223.60; 

 expenses, etc., $101,360.05; overdrafts, $92,297.97; 

 other resources, $348,293.30; cash on hand, 

 $924,634.37; total, $7,164,335.16. Their liabilities 

 were thus summarized: Capital stock paid in, 

 $1,836,390; surplus fund, $149,652.69; undivided 

 profits, $233,308.77; certificate of deposit, $1,015,- 

 824.70; individual deposits subject to check, 

 $3,047,245.05; due to banks and bankers, $241,- 

 541.80; certified checks, $9,808.54; savings and 

 trust deposits, $598,003.49; bills payable and de- 

 benture bonds, $20,250; dividends unpaid, $990; 

 rediscounts, $11,320.12; total, $7,164,335.16. 



Education. The State Superintendent says in 

 his report : " The last Legislature enacted a code 

 for the government of the public Schools, the pro- 

 visions of which have brought the common 

 schools and the several educational institutions 

 in closest sympathy. One chapter has special ref- 

 erence to the better organization of the schools 

 into a unified system. Under thi provision, the 

 normal schools receive the graduates from the 

 eighth grade of the common school; the Univer- 

 sity and Agricultural College receive students 

 with full credit for work done at the normal 

 schools; the State board are brought in touch 

 with the able leaders of State institutions, and 

 are enabled to adopt such a policy as will lead 

 through the common school course up through 

 the higher institutions of learning. The members 



of the faculties of these higher institutions are 

 coming into closer touch with the common 

 schools, and are making themselves felt by work 

 done in county institutes and teachers' associa- 

 tions, and the teaching force of the State is 

 looking to the institutions for inspiration and 

 leadership. The masses of the public seem to be 

 more sensitive to the efforts put forth by the 

 State institutions, and a restored confidence has 

 brought prosperity to such an extent that the 

 haste to get out o'f the State for a higher educa- 

 tion has ceased to manifest itself, and from \>M- 

 ent indications never will again do so." 



No later school statistics are published than 

 those given in the Annual Cyclopaedia for 1898. 



The experiment of school savings banks was 

 instituted in the spring of 1898. Ihe teacher re- 

 ceives money from the pupils in any sum, even as 

 small as one cent, and gives him a card on which 

 the account is kept. When a pupil's deposits 

 amount to $3 he receives a bank book, and the 

 money then bears interest at 5 per cent. Money 

 can be withdrawn only with the consent *of the 

 parent. In the first three months the number 

 of depositors in the State was 2,039, and the 

 amount deposited was $2,940.07. This experiment 

 has been tried in other States, and it is said that 

 the school children have thus deposited about 

 $200,000. 



Forestry. Forestry is taught in some of the 

 educational institutions of the State. In Janu- 

 arv, 1897, a Forestry Association was organized. 

 Kdniond S. Meany, president of the association, 

 said in his address: "The State of Wa-liingloii 

 presents all the numerous and varied problems 

 that challenge the attention and the interests 

 of the scientific forester the world over. We have 

 in western Washington vast forests to protect ; 

 in eastern Washington great treelc-- area- to !>< 

 planted; and between these two natural divi-i"ii 

 we have the sources of many rivers which tin- 

 health and prosperity of the people demand to be 

 protected by a generous cover of forest growth. 

 Out of these three classes of general fore-ny 

 problems will spring all the diversified problems 

 that deserve your attention now, and if negle. ted 

 will some day compel your attention in ways not 

 pleasant to contemplate. . . . The protection of 

 the western Washington forests from fire is the 

 most pressing problem at this moment, as any 

 one can testify who has lived here during any 

 summer season. The clouds of smoke that dim 

 your eyes, shut out the sun, and choke you with 

 biting fumes speak a most forceful language of 

 acres and acres of the finest timber on earth 

 being wasted and destroyed by needless tires. 

 You all know that if this is to go on long enough 

 all our forests will be destroyed. My observa- 

 tion has suggested two remedies that Would help 

 to allay this evil in some degree. One is to enact 

 a law 'forbidding settlers and farmers from set- 

 ting fire to slashings in timbered districts, except 

 between Nov. 1 and May 1. This would eliminate 

 one source of these fires. The other is to ena i a 

 law requiring railroad companies to do one of 

 two things clear their rights of way of all in- 

 flammable rubbish for 50 feet or more on each 

 side of the track or to provide a perfect spark 

 arrester for each locomotive." 



Insurance. The latest published stati-tic- of 

 insurance in this State are those for 1897. In 1 hat 



