752 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (MISSISSIPPI.) 



that the banks of Jackson, collecting checks and 

 drafts and handling money for the State treas- 

 ury, placed bonds, collaterals, or securities with 

 said Treasurer covering all amounts so obtained 

 from him." 



Indictments were found against the men named. 

 The prosecution of Rush resulted in a mistrial. 

 He will be tried again in 1903, when the other 

 trials are also to occur. 



Mr. Carlisle-, who was appointed after Mr. Stow- 

 ers resigned, gave up the office Nov. 1, on the 

 ground that it was too great a responsibility to 

 have the care of such an amount in the treasury. 



Education. By the census report of 1900 there 

 were in the State 351,461 illiterates. In the per- 

 centage of children from ten to fourteen years old 

 who are able to read and write Mississippi stands 

 forty-fifth, with 77.62 per cent. The school enu- 

 meration shows 630,439 this year, an increase for 

 the biennial period of 40,427. The school term 

 has been lengthened in most of the counties, only 

 5 at the beginning of this year having but the 

 old four-months' term, others having from five to 

 eight. Ninety towns in the State have organized 

 into separate 'school districts with terms of nine 

 months. 



The enrolment at the Agricultural College for 

 the year ending in June was 604; about 20 re- 

 ceived the degree of bachelor of science. 



The State University graduated 19 in the aca- 

 demic department and 24 in the department of 

 law. 



The Hazelhurst Summer Normal School had 

 an attendance of 79 throughout the term and a 

 total enrolment of nearly 200. 



Mississippi College, at Clinton, graduated 20 

 in May; the East Mississippi Female College, 8. 



The Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical Col- 

 lege, for colored students, had an attendance of 

 478, of whom 60 were girls. 



Jefferson Military College, at Natchez, the first 

 literary institute in the Southwest and the first 

 military college endowed by Congress, celebrated 

 its centennial at the commencement, May 30. 



v The property of Jackson College has been sold 

 to Millsaps College for $40,000. The latter en- 

 rolled 240 students in 1901-'()2, and graduated 29 

 in the several courses. 



Charities and Corrections. The Legislature 

 having refused to make any provision for a sol- 

 diers' home, the Sons of Confederate Veterans 

 have taken steps to raise money for the purchase 

 of Beauvoir, near the waters of Mississippi Sound, 

 which is offered for $10,000. There are 48 Con- 

 federate veterans in the various poorhouses and 

 county farms of Mississippi. 



The main building of the Institute for the Deaf 

 and Dumb, in Jackson, was burned, March 18, 

 with a loss of $40,000, partly covered by $15,000 

 insurance. At a meeting of the trustees in May 

 it was decided to build 5 cottages and a dining- 

 room and have them ready for opening in the au- 

 tumn. The opening took place in November, 

 with about 100 pupils. 



Charges were made against the warden of the 

 Penitentiary by a member of the Board of Control, 

 in connection with the finances of the institution, 

 but after a hearing they were dismissed with a 

 slight censure for the omission to report the col- 

 lection of $91, as required by law. The appraise- 

 ment of the prison property in March showed 

 $2.023,000 realty and $99,617 personalty. The ex- 

 penses for the first half of 1902 were' $89,004.23, 

 and the receipts $190,436.72. 



Banks. According to the report of the Comp- 

 troller of the Currency, the national banks in Mis- 

 sissippi make a good showing. Their loans and 



discounts are $4,632,556.66; United States bonds 

 to secure circulation, $1,012,500; United States 

 bonds to secure United States deposits, $250,000; 

 money in reserve, gold coin, $59,390.50 ; gold treas- 

 ury certificates, $25,650; silver dollars, $99,202; 

 silver treasury certificates, $29,117; silver frac- 

 tional currency, $39,119.55; legal - tender notes, 

 $374,128; capital stock paid in, $1,460,910; 

 surplus, $549,000; undivided profits, $303,641.60; 

 individual deposits, $5,552,489.20; average reserve 

 held, 20.69 per cent. 



The Auditor, in his report of the State banks in 

 July, says that this is the best showing made dur- 

 ing his term. The number of banks reporting on 

 July 15, 1901, was 117, compared with 129 for 

 July 5, 1902. These new institutions have capital 

 stock ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. The to- 

 tal resources of the 129 banks is $26,544,946.83, 

 compared with $23,948,412.12 for the 117 bank>. 

 Loans and discounts on personal securities 

 amounted to $17,386,114.36. Under the heading 

 of liabilities, capital paid in is placed at $5,468,- 

 080.33, an increase of $577,989.10 and an average 

 of about $44,000 for each of the 12 new banks es- 

 tablished. 



Railroads. The mileage of roads in the State 

 was increased by 127 in 1902; in 1901, the increase 

 was 98. The gross receipts of the Yazoo and Mis- 

 sissippi for the year ending June 30 were $6,587,- 

 355.80, an increase of 7.5 per cent. ; the net receipts 

 were $1,930,171.14, a decrease of 6.77 per cent. 



The business of the Louisville and Nashville in 

 the State for the first quarter showed receipts 

 from all sources, $228,294.97; operating expenses, 

 $123,966.14; net revenue after paying taxes, inter- 

 est, etc., $55,963.12. This is an "increase of $34,- 

 138.08 over last year. 



Hattiesburg is now reached by the Mobile, Jack- 

 son and Kansas City road. This part of the 

 State is developing rapidly. 



Insurance. There are 55 insurance companies, 

 8 guarantee companies, 12 accident companies, 

 and about 60 fraternal orders doing business in 

 the State. 



The new insurance law passed at the last ses- 

 sion of the Legislature requires more extensive re- 

 ports from the companies than heretofore. A sep- 

 arate insurance department was created, and the 

 powers of the commissioner were enlarged. The 

 present law affords greater security, providing 

 that only capitalized cojnpanies may write fire- in- 

 surance. The system of taxation is changed, the 

 law now requiring a percentage tax on actual 

 business. 



A strong effort was made to have an extra ses- 

 sion of the Legislature called in order to repeal the 

 valued-policy clause of the law. The Governor 

 even received an offer from Vicksburg to pay the 

 expenses of the extra session. But he declined to 

 call the session, as, from answers received to a 

 circular letter to the legislators, he found that the 

 law would not be repealed. 



On the other hand, the insurance companies 

 were emphatic against writing blanket policies 

 on cotton if the Legislature should amend the law 

 only in its application to that staple; demanding 

 the repeal of the entire law. But in September 

 the Mississippi Fire Association decided to insure 

 cotton under the old blanket policy. The ne\\ 

 method adopted by the companies in the spring 

 was to insure cotton in bales only, by marks and 

 numbers. 



Industries and Products. According to the 

 census report, 61.5 per cent, of the land area of the 

 State is included in farms. There were of these 

 220,803, valued at $152,907,000. Of this value. -J4 

 per cent, represents the buildings and 76 per cent. 







