The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-01-07
REPORT OF THE sECRET4RYOF
STATE

The report OF General SHERWOOD, Secretary
Of State, for the past year, it is but Justice to
say, is the most complete and satisfactory re-
port which has been issued from that Office
The act abolislIing the Office of Commissioner
of Statistics and transf6rringits duties to the
Secretary Of State, has imposed upon the lat
ter much additional labor and made the an
nual report unusually goluminOus, but it has
also made the document much more valuable
to the public. General Sherwood questions
the wisdom of abolishing the office of Com
missioner of Statistics, since it is impossible
for the Secretary of State to give the subject,
in connection with the main duties of his
Office that attention which it demands, and he
adds, tthe great questions Of population, pro-
duction, facilities of transport, internal COM
merce, manufacture, pauperism, crime and
Others, which indicate the Advance or decay of
State are OF vital Importance, and are now
commanding the attention of the best minds
in the country"
In the SecretaIy's report proper, is given a
list Of the companies Incorporated during the
year which number about three hundred and
fifty, forty of which are building associations.
Some eight Or ten of these incorporated COM
panies We notice have their principal Offices in
this city. This is followed by list of cities
and incorporated villages in the State which
number over four hundred and twenty,
twenty seven of the cities being of the second
class and three of the first Besides these are
given the times of holding Courts in the
State during the present year, list of State
officers by appointment, Governors staff, and
Judges Of tine Supreme Court, a list of the
Common Pleas Judges and Probate Judges, of
Clerks of Court, County Auditors and Treas
urers, of members of the General Assembly
AMI of the Forty-First Congress from Ohio.
be ides the usual election returns. It will he
seen from this that several new and valuable
features have been added, which makes the
report an almost indispensable document for
reference. The arrangement OF the election
returns Is very satisfactory, the first table.
which occupies SOME fifty pages, being esneciai,
" valuable, since it gives the vote for Presi- |
dent and Secretary OF State in 1868, and for |
Governor i'll 1868 by counties and townships. |
The statistical report TO the Legislature is |
one of great interest to both the producing and |
commercial classes. The report upon the mi |
mineral resources Of the State is limited, owing
to lack of data, but the fact is made prominent
that what the State lacks in precious metals is |
more than compensated by immense deposits |
OF useful mineral The fapt is noted that Ohio |
is especially rich in the three elements of a /
productive soil: sand, clay and limestone, |
which, however, have a value as minerals be- |
sides. Much Of the mineral wealth of the |
State is in limestone, freestOue, sandstone
Hat and f6n pla.- from L. 1
earthegwarc is Iaado. In these the State is |
supplied and the supply of build- |
ing stone Is pronounced inexhaustib'e. Atteu-
ton Is also called to the fact that deposits of
hydraulic cement ore being found in the State,
the valuable property of which is hardening
under water. But the great mineral wealth is
OF course in coal and iron, IN both of which the
State Is rich. Last year 20S,746 tons of iron
We're manufactured. This is but beginning,
and the Secretary remarks that the supply is
abundant for a long history in iron manufnc
ture. The development OF our coal resources
Is also only fairly begun, though statistics,shoY
that over fifty millions OF bushels We're innoJ /
last year, and the Secretary supposes that moi I
over tWo-t1Lu OF the quantity mined has been
reported. The superficial area of coal in the
state has been computed at l 800 souare rail,.s
and the quantity of c0Sl available At twenty
threo thousand millions Of tons. These est
mates were made before the coal fields had
reached their present development and are
probably too low. About onethird of the State
IS underlaid with this valuable deposit, and
recent developments have shown some OF tho
strata TO be ofuncommoH thickness and quality
Those t9ccts as Of more Than passing interest
10 our city, which promises, with proper rail-
road facilities, to become the princial coal depot
upon the lakes.
That portion ofthereport which sifGs sta, isd-
's Of agriculture cpltains much interesting
natter. Reports upon the crop Of 1869 could
lot, OF course, he had at the time The tables
Serc made up but the yield Of 1868 ia given in
uch variety of ways in comparisons and
as to leave little more to he desired,