UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (WISCONSIN.) 



819 



State is one of the few in the Union whose prison 

 is more than self-supporting. 



The West Virginia Historical and Antiquarian 

 Society reports for the year 1902 more than 1,100 

 volumes, 950 pamphlets, and many valuable man- 

 uscripts and maps, and a large collection of val- 

 uable autographs. The museum contains nearly 

 20,000 relics and curios and a fine exhibit of the 

 timber, coal, marble, granite, building-stones, fire 

 and brick clay, and other products of the State, 

 with specimens of its manufactures. 



Resources and Profits. West Virginia stands 

 second in the production of coal in 1902; 26,000,- 

 000 tons of coal were mined, 415 mines being in 

 operation in 54 counties. More than 400 electri- 

 cal machines were used in various mines during 

 the year, which greatly reduced the number of 

 miners. Almost one-eighth more coal would have 

 been produced this year had it not been for the 

 great strike of the United Mine- Workers, which 

 extended over a period of nearly four months, dur- 

 ing which time almost every mine in the New 

 River field, the greatest coal-producing territory 

 in the State, was idle, and almost half of those in 

 the great Flat Top and Norfolk and Western 

 fields. The average wages of a miner in West 

 Virginia is about $52 a month. 



The United States Steel Corporation is just 

 completing one of the largest operations almost in 

 the world in McDowell County, not far from the 

 town of Welch. It will employ, in 1903, almost 

 10,000 men alone, and will build two branch lines 

 of railway connecting with the Norfolk and West- 

 ern in the Flat Top field. It will have the greatest 

 coke-producing plant in the world, outside of 

 Pennsylvania. In the production of coke, West 

 Virginia is nearing the first rank. In 1902 near- 

 ly 3,750,000 tons of coke were produced, valued at 

 more than $4,000,000, the ovens being in opera- 

 tion two hundred and eight days. The State 

 stands first in the production of petroleum, 22,- 

 000,000 barrels being produced in 1902. The de- 

 velopment of oil is drifting to the southern sec- 

 tion of the State, and the Parkersburg field prom- 

 ises soon to rival that of the Sistersville territory. 

 Great oil-wells were discovered through the year 

 in the southern tier of counties bordering on the 

 Ohio and Big Sandy rivers, and some fine gas-pro- 

 ducers have also come in during the year in the 

 southern section of the State. 



The greatest source of wealth of the State is its 

 timber, there being fully 15,000 square miles of 

 fine timber lands. The largest mills in the world 

 for hardwood are in Pocahontas, Randolph, and 

 McDowell Counties in this State. The output of 

 poplar for the year was 180,000,000 feet; of 

 spruce, 75,000,000'; of oak, 50,000,000. 



Fruit-growing is attracting much attention, 

 some of the largest orchards in. the central west 

 being in Randolph and Mineral Counties, especial- 

 ly in the former. 



Railroads. The State has more than 3,500 

 miles of railway in operation, and surveys were 

 completed in 1902 which will add fully another 

 thousand miles. The chief lines to run surveys 

 through the State in 1902 were the Wabash and 

 Norfolk and Western. The former will have a 

 line extending entirely across the State, while the 

 latter is building a branch 120 miles along the 

 Tug and Big Sandy rivers. 



Political. In 1902 the State elected 5 Con- 

 gressmen, a neAv congressional district having been 

 added by the last apportionment. The Congress- 

 men elected were all Republicans. 



WISCONSIN, a Western State, admitted to 

 the Union May 29, 1848; area, 56,040 square 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 



nial census since admission, was 305,391 in 1850: 

 775,881 in 1860; 1,054,670 in 1870; 1,315,497 in 

 1880; 1,688,880 in 1890; and 2,069,042 in 1900. 

 Capital, Madison. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1902: Governor, Robert M. La Follette; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Jesse Stone, died May 16, 

 1902; Secretary of State, William H. Froehlich; 

 Treasurer, James O. Davidson; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, Emmett R. Hicks; Superintendent of Edu- 

 cation, Lorenzo D. Harvey; Railroad Commis- 

 sioner, Graham L. Rice; Insurance Commissioner, 

 Emil Giljohann; Adjutant-General, C. R. Board- 

 man; Dairy and Food Commissioner, H. C. 

 Ademas; Labor Commissioner, Halford Erickson; 

 Bank Examiner, E. I. Kidd; Health Commis- 

 sioner, F. M. Schultz; Fish and Game Warden, 

 J. T. Ellarson; Tax Commissioners, Norman S. 

 Gilson, George Curtis, W. J. Anderson; Forest 

 Warden, C. E. Morley; Chief Justice of the Su- 

 preme Court, J. B. Cassoday; Associate Justices, 

 John B. Winslow and Joshua E. Dodge (Demo- 

 crats), Charles V. Bardeen, and Roujet D. Mar- 

 shall; Clerk, Clarence Kellogg. With the excep- 

 tions mentioned, all are Republicans. 



State officers are elected for terms of two years 

 in November of the even-numbered years. The 

 Legislature meets biennially in January of the 

 odd-numbered years. It consists of 33 Senators 

 and 100 Representatives. 



Finances. The balance in the general fund at 

 the close of the year was $235,884.54. In the last 

 two years no transfer from the trust funds to 

 the general fund was made for meeting tempo- 

 rary deficits. The treasury was able to keep the 

 trust funds fully and profitably invested. In 

 order to maintain this condition, it was found 

 necessary by the executive to delay the expendi- 

 ture of some extraordinary appropriations in 



1901, when legislative expenses were met, and 

 until revenues were received for 1902. 



The State Tax Commission issued its report, 

 Oct. 24, on the assessed valuation for the year 



1902. The total value of personal property for 

 the State was $277,969,027; and the value of all 

 property $1,504,346,000. 



Banking. The State Bank Examiner's state- 

 ment of the condition of the banks at the close 

 of business on Sept. 15 included both State and 

 private banks. The loans and discounts were 

 $55,133,591.63; unpaid capital, $974,233.74; over- 

 drafts, $740,252.55; banking house, $1,252,524.88; 

 real estate, $833,055.62; furniture, $368,561.10; 

 securities, $6,597,811.66; cash items, $247,488.32; 

 checks, $498,496.12; due from banks, $13.910,953.- 

 71; currency, $2,040,305.74; specie, $1,872,630.70; 

 nickels and cents, $24,688.42; revenue stamps, 

 $120,738.87; total, $84,615,453.17. Liabilities- 

 Capital stock, $8,684,48.90; surplus, $1,544,808.- 

 64; undivided profits, $1,441,693.01; deposits, 

 $24,536,504.13; certificates, $32,030,888.36; saving 

 deposits, $13,837,812.58; due banks and bankers, 

 $1,585,265.76; dividends unpaid, $3,859.43; certified 

 checks, $39,569.76; cashier's checks outstanding, 

 $152414.93; bills rediscounted, $571,064.86; bills 

 payable, $187,048.73; total, $84,615,453.17. 



Education. The report of the Board of Re- 

 gents of Normal Schools, issued in December, 

 gave the following as the sources from which the 

 income for the support of the normal schools of 

 the State is derived: A fixed annual appropria- 

 tion; special appropriation:? ; interest on capital 

 fund; tuitions; book rents, sales of all kinds, 

 which is placed by law under the entire control 

 of the board. 



In the biennial period from July 4, 1900, to 

 July 1, 1902, inclusive, there was distributed a 



