820 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (WISCONSIN.) 



total of $689,333.31, being $483,084.71 more than 

 in the preceding biennium. This excess is shown 

 by an increase of $48,579.02 in the item of build- 

 ings, and an increase of $20,535.19 is also shown 

 in salaries. 



The report shows a slight decrease in attend- 

 ance during tin- past two years. 



The annual report of the State Superintendent, 

 Dec. 4, showed that there was $1,681,636.10 to be 

 distributed to the various schools and colleges. 

 The rate per capita for each person of school age 

 residing in the State, June 30, was $2.236. 



The entering class at the State University in 

 September was the largest in its history. The 

 total nitration, Sept. 25, was 1,711, compared 

 with l.ti.">7 for the corresponding time last year; 

 number of new students was 704, against 653 

 la-t year. The completion of Agricultural Hall 

 gives the university an exceptionally fine equip- 

 ment. It cost $150,000, and is believed to be the 

 lincst structure of the kind in the United States. 

 It can easily accommodate 750 students. The 

 largest increase for the year was in the college 

 of engineering, for which more than 600 entered. 

 One of the new features in the engineerng college 

 this year was the introduction of a five-year 

 course, the aim of which is to add a general edu- 

 cation in art and literature to a thorough scien- 

 tific education. 



Industries. From statistics collected in De- 

 cember it was shown that the manufacture of 

 cheese increased largely in 1902. There were 

 1,600 cheese factories in the State, which manu- 

 factured more than 70,000,000 pounds of cheese 

 that year, valued at $7,000,000. Wisconsin man- 

 ufactured one-fourth of the cheese produced in 

 the United States. The growth of the industry 

 was especially shown in the northern part of 

 Wisconsin. 



In wood-pulp, Wisconsin is fifth in output 

 nearly $11,000,000 worth. 



The tobacco-crop was reported, Dec. 6, to be 

 the largest ever grown in the State, both as to 

 acreage and the number of cases. The acreage 

 approximated 35,000. The damage from worms 

 and grasshoppers was very slight. Conservative 

 buyers estimated the yield at 4 cases, or 1,350 

 pounds, per acre. 



In carriage and wagon making Wisconsin, with 

 its 436 establishments, is surpassed only by Penn- 

 sylvania, New York, and Ohio. The notable 

 thing is the increase since 1890 from 158 estab- 

 lishments. The capital engaged in this industry 

 is $6,200,000. 



The State ranks fourth in leather, the value 

 of the product being $20,000,000, nearly twice 

 what it was ten years ago. Half of the product 

 comes from Milwaukee. 



In agricultural implements Wisconsin stands 

 fourth, the value of the product being nearly 

 $8,000,000. Racine is exceeded in the country by 

 only Chicago and Springfield. 



Railroads. The average net earnings of the 

 railroads for Wisconsin in 1900, 1901, and 1902 

 were $15,483,762 each year; the net earnings of 

 the Northwestern and St. Paul systems for 1902 

 amounted to $11,331,368.44 for the road in Wis- 

 consin. 



Agriculture. The secretary of the State 

 Board of Agriculture in his annual crop report, 

 compiled in December, showed that' less than 

 one-third of the corn-crop of Wisconsin for the 

 past season was marketable. The acreage and 

 yield wore about the same as in the previous year, 

 but the quality was inferior. 



Only 30 per cent, of the corn reported could 

 be classed as " merchantable." 



Of the 169,795 farms in Wisconsin, 146,799, or 

 86.5 per cent., are operated by their owners; 10,- 

 249, or 6 per cent., by tenants who pay rent in 

 cash; and 12,747, or 7.5 per cent., by tenants who 

 work on shares. 



Charities and Corrections. The State Board 

 of Control gives a statement of the average popu- 

 lation and the per capita cost per week in each 

 of the several charitable, penal, and reformatory 

 institutions under the supervision of the board, 

 from Oct. 1, 1901, to June 30, 1902. The inmates 

 in the State Hospital for the Insane numbered 

 413; the per capita cost per week was $5.40; in 

 the Northern Hospital for the Insane 599, the per 

 capita cost was $4.51 ; in the School for Deaf 

 202, the per capita cost was $4.69; in the School 

 for Blind 111, the per capita cost was $6.03; in 

 the Industrial School for Boys, 399, the per capita 

 cost was $4.39; in the State Prison 562, the per 

 capita cost was $3.28; in the State School 147, 

 the per capita cost was $5.78; in the Home for 

 Feeble-Minded 484, the per capita cost was $3,59; 

 in the State Reformatory 149, the per capita cost 

 was $5.16. The increase in the number of insane 

 in the State is not accurately shown here because 

 of the system of transferring the care of this class 

 to county asylums. The number of patients in 

 county asylums is 3,684 and the number cared 

 for in the Milwaukee Hospital for Insane is 527. 



Fish and Game. The report of the State Fish 

 and Game Warden shows the operations of that 

 department from May 22, 1901, to Dec. 31, 1902. 

 Instead of being a tax upon the treasury, this 

 department has become a source of revenue to 

 the school funds of the State, approximating 

 $5,000 a year. At the same time the department 

 has furnished a more adequate protection to 

 fish and game than has been heretofore known. 

 This protection has been afforded solely through 

 collection of license fees from those who are 

 benefited by the service. In the last two years 

 the State Warden has bettered the protection to 

 fish and game by increasing his force during 

 those seasons when the laws are most subject 

 to violation and by reducing the number of dep- 

 uties after the close of the deer-hunting season 

 and while inland lakes are not available to net 

 fishermen. One result of the more strict enforce- 

 ment of the law is a material increase in license 

 fees. In the past year there were 270 arrests 

 for violation of the fish and game laws; and near- 

 ly $5,000 was collected through fines and by sale 

 of confiscated fish and game. 



Legal Decisions. On Jan. 31 the Supreme 

 Court of the State entered an order permitting 

 the Attorney-General to file an information and 

 begin an action to restrain the receiver of the 

 Bayfield and Iron River Railway from tearing up 

 the track and dismantling the road. This is one 

 of the most important decisions rendered by the 

 court in recent years. An action was begun by 

 the federal court to foreclose the mortgage upon 

 said road. The usual judgment of foreclosure and 

 sale was entered. The special master appointed 

 to make the sale was not able to sell the road 

 for the price designated by the court. The judg- 

 ment apparently threatened a conflict bet \veen 

 the Wisconsin courts and federal authority. But 

 a decision was handed down, April 4, by the 1'ni- 

 ted States Supreme Court, at Madison, asserting 

 that jurisdiction in the matter rested with tin- 

 federal court alone, and an order wa- made 

 directing him to take up the track and >ell 

 the rails, ties, etc., thus destroying a public 

 highway. The citizens of Bayfield County, claim- 

 ing that such order to destroy the road was void, 

 then made application to the Circuit Court of 



