748 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (MICHIGAN.) 



twenty-seven months. " Previous to Sept. 23, 



1899, Michigan was the dumping-ground for so- 

 called graduates of fake and disreputable colleges, 

 over 200 of whom had registered in one county of 

 this State alone. Not only has this law entirely 

 cut off the undesirable future supply, but has 

 caused this class of practitioners already in the 

 State to either abandon the practise or properly 



(jualifv ihemseU r>. 



The State Prison. The Board of Control of 

 .Jackson Prison established a rule in April prohib- 

 iting corporal punishment in the institution. 



One of the amendments adopted at the No- 

 vember election was to empower the Legislature 

 to enact a law for indeterminate sentences, a law 

 of 1889 to that effect having been found to be un- 

 constitutional. 



Railroads. The total main-line mileage in the 

 State is 8,199.43, an increase of 253.49 over that 

 of the previous year. The commissioner says the 

 statements of monthly earnings indicate an in- 

 crease of about 9 per cent, over those of last year. 



In 1901 there were 162 persons killed and 638 

 injured. This is the greatest number in the his- 

 tory of the State, with the single exception of 



1900, when 254 were killed. Of the number 

 killed last year, 28 were passengers, being 1 pas- 

 senger for every 525,406 passengers carried. 



A total of 82 companies reported to the depart- 

 ment for the year. Of these 52 were regular oper- 

 ating companies. All were in first-class financial 

 condition. In addition to paying interest on in- 

 debtedness, 8 companies declared dividends. 



Under the repeal act of the last Legislature the 

 Michigan Central was required to reduce its pas- 

 senger fares to 2 cents a mile on its main line, the 

 earnings of the passenger-trains on such line be- 

 ing in excels of $2,000 a mile of road operated. 

 It was found that the passenger income of the De- 

 troit, Grand Haven, and Milwaukee was in excess 

 of $2,000 a mile of road operated, and a case is 

 pending in the Wayne Circuit Court to require 

 this company to reduce its passenger rates to 2 

 cents a mile. 



Articles of association were filed by 15 railroad 

 companies. 



A law of the last Legislature changed the sys- 

 tem of taxation. Heretofore the railroads have 

 paid a certain percentage on their gross earnings, 

 but under the new system they will pay on the 

 value of their property, like ordinary taxpayers. 



The State Tax Commission fixed the valuation 

 of the roads, making a total of about $208,212,- 

 500, while the tax computed upon this valuation 

 is $2,850.231.22. The amount of tax assessed 

 against the railroads this year under the specific 

 lystem is $1.483,906.84. 



Banks. An abstract of reports of the 213 

 State and 85 national hanks and 3 trust com- 

 panies, Feb. 25, shows increases over the report 

 made Dec. 10, 1901, as follow: Loans, discounts, 

 bonds, mortgages, and securities, $3,597,986.79; 

 commercial deposits in State banks, $1,553,037.02; 

 commercial deposits in national banks. $1,548,- 

 108.20; savings deposits in State banks, $2,093,- 

 132.22; total increase in deposits, $5.194,277.44. 



The City Savings-Bank, of Detroit, failed in 

 February. The vice-president Mas tried on a 

 charge of Fraudulently securing from the bank 

 more than $1.000.000, and was convicted and sen- 

 tenced to fifteen years' hard labor in prison. 



Building and Loan Associations. The num- 

 ber of these in the State is <;:!: they have a mem- 

 bership of .'{1.787, and assets amounting to $9.386.- 

 764. The Attorney-General is endeavoring to ex- 

 clude from the State certain so-called home-pur- 

 chasing associations believed to be fraudulent. 



Insurance. A report of the financial condition 

 and business of companies of other States doing 

 business in Michigan in 1901 shows the following 

 totals: Paid-in capital, $58,642,875; admitted as- 

 sets, $312,958,919.52; liabilities, $155,310,390.51; 

 divisible surplus, $96,776,816.65; taxes paid in 

 Michigan, $161,041.27; fire risks written, $427.- 

 572,100; fire premiums received, $5,367,437; fire 

 losses paid, $3,159,304; fire losses incurred, $3.424.- 

 991; marine risks written, $21,304,082; marine 

 premiums received, $258,077: marine losses paid, 

 $126,614; marine losses incurred. $146. 152. The 

 per cent, of losses to premiums received was (i:i, 

 against 62 for the years 1899 and 1900. 



The commissioner says: '"JLhe fact that during 

 the past eighteen months 24 companies, represent- 

 ing an aggregate capital of $5,000,000, have re- 

 tired from Michigan, coupled with the further fact 

 that their places have not been taken by other 

 companies, and that the companies which con- 

 tinue to do business in the State have reduced 

 their lines fully 30 per cent., presents the anomaly 

 in insurance economics of a constantly increasing 

 demand with just as constantly decreasing sup- 

 ply of indemnity." 



The commissioner urges amendments to the in- 

 surance laws that will relieve double taxation on 

 premiums in case of reinsurance. The number of 

 companies authorized to do business in the State 

 is 146, there being 2 Michigan companies, 36 of 

 foreign countries, and 108 of other States. 



Industries and Products. The farms of the 

 State on June 1, 1900, numbered 203,261, and were 

 valued at $582,317,710, of which amount 27 per 

 cent, represents the value of buildings, and 73 per 

 cent, the value of the land and improvements other 

 than buildings. 



According to statistics compiled by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Michigan is now the lead- 

 ing State in sugar-beet acreage, having a total 

 area this year of 98,000 acres, an increase of 70 

 per cent, over last year. Statistics of the Sugar- 

 Manufacturers' Association give the following 

 items: The total daily capacity of the 13 Michi- 

 gan factories is 6.600 tons of beets; the total in- 

 vestment is $7,700.000; 64,400 acres of beets were 

 harvested; and the crop weighed 597.600 tons. 

 The average value of the ton was $5.20, making 

 the amount paid to farmers $3,107,520. The av- 

 erage cost of a ton of beets to the farmer is $:!.7t>. 

 and the net profit per acre is $6.30. Freight must 

 be deducted from this profit. The average output 

 of sugar per ton of beets at the Michigan facto- 

 ries is 210 pounds. 



In the census year there were 286 butter and 

 cheese factories and creameries in the State, of 

 which 146 were cheese. Michigan stands fifth in 

 cheese production, the value having more than 

 doubled since 1890. In the year 18,378,869 poun<!s 

 of condensed milk was produced, nearly four times 

 as much as in anv other State. The value of all 

 products of the 286 factories was $3.!>ls.9!>5. 



The figures for the manufactures of the State 

 in 1900 are: Number of establishments. Hl.sor. : 

 capital, $284,047,233, an increase of 8 per cent.: 

 value of products, $356.387.412, an increase \ -2* 

 per cent. There were 162.336 wage-earners, $66,- 

 458.947 of wages. $25.401.813 of miscellaneous ex- 

 penses, and $199,153,711 was the cost of materials 

 used. 



Michigan, which was the first among the St. 

 in the production of iron ore. is now second to 

 Minnesota. The total production in 1901 wa< 

 '.i.ii.'i J.(iti7 lonir tons of iron ore. The coal product 

 in 1901 was 1,040,530 short tons. valued at $1.5:!.- 

 756. The State is credited with producing' ir'>l<l <>f 

 the value of $30,000 and $48,600 worth of silver. 





