MAINE. 



473 



M 



MAINE. The public debt of the State of 

 Maine on the 1st of January, 1878, was $5,873,- 

 900, having been reduced $46,500 during the 

 year preceding. The sinking-fund amounted 

 to $911,436.04, having been increased $120,- 

 142.23. This made the net indebtedness $4,- 

 962,464. Of this, $25,000 falls due March 1, 

 1878, after which no bonds mature until August 

 15, 1880. The receipts of the Treasury for the 

 yearwere $1,207,738.27, and there'was a balance 

 on hand at the beginning of $894,422.27, mak- 

 ing the total resources $1,602,160.54. The ex- 

 penditures for the year amounted to $1,371,- 

 627.64, leaving cash on hand, December 31st, 

 $230,532.90. The sources of revenue were as 

 follows: 



State taxes $871,8T8 49 



County taxes 9,182 61 



Tax on savings-banks 246,106 44 



Tax on railroads 29,098 62 



Tax on insurance companies 18,339 89 



Land agent 16,691 48 



Miscellaneous sources 66,49084 



The State tax is 3 mills on the dollar, a de- 

 crease from 5f mills in five years. An increase 

 is regarded as necessary, as the receipts are 

 falling below the expenses. The total re- 

 sources for 1878, including the balance on 

 hand, are estimated at $1,241,556.23, or $130,- 

 071.41 less than th expenditures of 1877. 



The number of savings-banks in the State 

 is 64, but 4 of these, the Winthrop, Solon, 



Bucksport, and Lewiston, have passed into 

 the hands of receivers, paying respectively 

 40, 85, 40, and 50 cents on the dollar. Of the 

 remaining 60, 6 have paid no dividends during 

 the year. The aggregate of deposits, on the 

 5th of November, was $25,092,872.65, a de- 

 crease for the year of $1,633,298.07. This de- 

 crease was doubtless due in part to the new 

 law which prohibits the payment of dividends 

 on more than $2,000 in the name of a single 

 depositor, and limits the dividends on all de- 

 posits to 2 per cent, semi-annual ly. There 

 was a noticeable increase in 'the amount of 

 United States bonds and bank-stocks held by 

 the banks, and a considerable decrease in rail- 

 road securities and loans on real estate. 



During the year ending November 80th the 

 land agent conveyed 20,800.66 acres of State 

 lands, contracted 11,970.41 acres to settlers, 

 and sold 77 islands belonging to the State. The 

 number of acres under contract to settlers at 

 the end of the year was 112,805.04. There 

 remain unsold 19,567.39 acres of lauds for set- 

 tlement. The agent paid into the Treasury 

 during the year $8,000.52 on account of the 

 permanent school-fund, $6,800.46 on general 

 account, and $503.76 on account of reserved 

 lands. 



The following statement shows the changes 

 in school statistics for the ten years ending 

 with 1876 : 



The State College of Agriculture and Me- 

 chanic Arts had 118 students at the end of 

 the year. 



The number of inmates in the Industrial 

 School for Girls, at Hallowell, on the 5th of 

 December, was 33. The whole number re- 

 ceived since it opened in January, 1875, is 71, 

 of whom 38 have been sent to homes, and 16 

 indentured. The Reform School for Boys con- 

 tains 147 inmates. The annual appropriation 

 for its support is $15,000. There wore 207 

 convicts in the State-prison on the 80th of 

 November. An extension containing 62 cells 



has been built, and the institution has now a 

 capacity for 250 inmates. The sales of car- 

 riages during the year amounted to $47,700, 

 and the sales of harness to $11,000, but the 

 income from all sources fell $9,810 short of 

 the expenses. There was also a deficiency on 

 account of the extension and repairs, amount- 

 ing to $4,400. 



The average number of patients in the In- 

 sane Asylum during the year was 411, or more 

 than double the number 20 years ago, although 

 the population of the State has not materiiilly 

 changed in that time. Improvements have 



