Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-01-16

These several Institutions and ate interests /,
addition to their current mainteE Hncc, request ap
preparations for various purposes specified, t,
which your candid consideration Is respectfully 30
| licied.
Tho Soldiers Orphans Home, at Wlnonn, w.s
closed on the 10th Of May last, tho number OF in
mates having been SO reduced by discharges AZ t.
render its further cont ,nuance unnecessary, III,
board OF trustees still retain ten OF the orpnaus il
charge, to Ave OF whom 1t is niforIng part la relic
uutil they become self supporting, and five o
whom are pursuing other studies in tho state Uni
vrrsity. The uusxpended balance Of the last ap
preparation will, il il thought, be amply suticien
for all lit eds OF these wards OF the state tota
| number OF about one hundred and forty orphans
were provided 1T the home during its continuance
and now, the work virtually ended the state it
TO be congratulated OH the good work accomplished
DEPARTMENT REroRrs.
| direct your attention with pleasure to the prac
teal slug Sestions and the detailed and ample infor
niNtiun pertaining to their respective partmcnt<
which Will be found i'll til reports Of the
of state attorney general. insurance conmies oncr
state librarian, aujutant general and secretary OF
tho State historical society. All th>se r'p,rts en-
b, ace litter estiny state ments relative to public ill.,
t,reets and bear witness to tho faithful pcrfurm
ancc Of tie duties ASST n. Il the officers NAMED.
Fr> III the report vi .he Commissioners OF sta
tistlcs IL vail be seen that the total number of
farms il the state is reported at 6u,Sl6 Covering
total TITLED area vi $50, l64 acres. Nine years
progress IN agricultural development may DO seen
by comparing these with similar returns Tor 1859,
when tho number of farms 1926 and the cu-
ii. Ated acAeaEe Si},3l6. The area III wheat the
past year is reported Al o5i,S4 acres upon which
the growing grain gave such extraordinary promise
until maturity j,lsl estimate of ,UUU. QUO
bushels the wheat yield OF 1898. tnfor. unately,
at the cruicai llpt x ptriod al alt. rnation Of
srLtry showers and tlazing heat shriveied the
kernel to suCh extent to destry half the crop
in both quantity and value throughout the gre at
wheat growing section Of the state. In two-thrds
of the wheat area lying in the southern portion Of
the state, the elu IS estimated ut ton Bushels and
i'll the remainder thirteen bushels per acre, making
total product Of ABOUT 26,OOO,O0J bushels.
The crop OF oats exceeded an average yield, By
ing estimated at IL. 600 bushels, while the pro-
duct OF corn the largest and uest ever kno w
the state approximatlns l},UvO,UoO bushels. The
| report shows gratifying Increase i'll the culture
OF what is known as the - minnesota early amber
sugar clue giving promise Of Valuable results.
The syrup produced i'll 1877 was reported at l4u, $50
gallons. which, with an enlarged g.owth Of
tho cane, Will be found to be greatly rx;ec led
by the product of tae past year. Striking evil
dcn>e OF tho expanding theatr, ct agric lure III
this state is found III ths transactions Of the sv
e1al United States land Offices and ,he sales Of
state and railroad lands during the past year,
which reach grand aggregate OF 2,344, 246 acres
being more than double the quantity ulspos. Il Of
IN 1877, which, in it's turn far surpassed any prior
year III magnitude of land transactions. This
absorption OF public lands being chiefly in small
parcels. by actual settlers, indicates large, perma-
uent aud desirable addition 10 the population of
c
returns of vital statistics give total OF 81, %
births aud 6,5y9 deaths. showing both an increase
Of the former and decrease OF the latter. and eX-
hlt ltEs the e4trst rdluary ratio OF 3 births to
deAth.
The report Of thu railroad commissioner shows q
urltty!ny Increase b tin in the extension and con-
st1relion Of Lew roads and increase OF Traffic
The number of miles added to cur raj lin Dad sy,-
teul ~it.ln TIE year 1873 was 375, making total
Of !,6vS ml'es. he gross earnings OF tcads i'll
Minnesota for the year ending June -, 1878, were
f14j.lt9, against p, 4uS,t"}J the year before, .
gam of over two million doll AIS. The net earnings
re s2y5s,s7l against $40. o3G, gain OF nearly
100 per cent. lhe huIber CT passengers carried
in the Y, ar reported GAG the total numb
OF miles travelled by AL bciu! l,G42,797, gam III
number CT passengers Of 35l.2 t, or about 80 per
cent; and in total miles OF about l2,Cor,uUu. The
lis Of gram carried were Isl, l34, against $50 SEA;
an increase OF e. per cent. The total tons OF
freight "a 6,.59, against IL, 9l} the year
BET, ri; Ain OF As per cent.
he sale OF RAILROAD lands in eleven months of
1875 to DE- cember LIST, a3O,YU0 acr ., against
213 t3o acres in corresponding period of 1877.
The revenue which the state derived direct from
the railroads s65,CC0 in 1878 against $l35,s9S
in 1877; an increase Of nesrly $50. OUu.
This growing revenue anu the taxes accruing
from the rapid ira sfer of railroad lands to indi-
viduals, constitute an Increasing snnual income
and reQures the watchtul care Of the commissioner
10 secure it to the state.
noteworthy fact touching our railroad de-
velopment il the greatly reduced Of con-
s IA.
cost OF standard gauge is now less than $1,000 per
mile, which is about one-half the prevailing cost
SIX years ago.
FORESTRY.
From official reports it appears that 2S,3lO acres
have thus lar heen planted TO forest trees in our
state. OF which $50 acl es were planted he last
year.
Although the comprehensive etfolts to c!Dtte he
nakelntss Of our vast praires have not met with
unvary1ns success, enough has b:an achieved to
prove it's entire practicabity. III this result
wi at was five years ago mooted question Of seri.
Gus import is so TAR determined that the larger
portion OF state - being trausfur med from
treele.s, un!Dhabitab!3 areas into productive and
I,:>pu'. paius a,lGuieltig the prosperity OF the
state and country.
IMMIGRATION.
Pursuant to an act OF the last legislature two
persons were appointed from each congressional
district to act in conjunction with myself as state
board Of immigration. Tbs gentlemen so appoint.
ed rendered intelligent aud Jealous services
toward the end contemplated. After due con-
sideration it WAS deemed thar wide and SYSTEM
attic dissemination Of facts touching the advantages
OF our state, embodied in concise and readable
form afforded at once the speeuiest cheapest and
accordingly the board made prompt provision
for the publication Of pamphlet which bad been
carefully prepared by the secretary, aud arranged
at the time for its wide advertisement and The
publication OF summary of its cSnteDts through
the agency OF the American Newspaper Union. by
this means so extraordinary demand stimu-
lated for information OF our state that edition of
3d. UUt copies of the pamphlet was quickly disposed
of and two subsequent editions wee absorbed with
equal rapidy maSps total Girculatsn Of %
the efficient cooperation ct several of
the leading railroad companies by whom
the expenses and advantages were shared.
Owing to the depressed industries which filled
the cities throughout the country with idle
workmen and idle capital it seemed advisable to
limit the small means at con mand Of the board
chiefly to present effort to attract immigrants
from the SCI eral states Of the Union but reyiving
home industry and the circumstances strongly
tending to renewal Of emigration from Europe
rendered it advisable to enlarge operations to
correspond with the extended field to be thus
presented. There is reason to believe that q
large edition of our immigration pamphlet in
the German, Scandinavian and other languages
could now be circulated to good advantage and
that renewed Efforts to attract emigrants from
various countries Of Europe would be we'll re-
paid. The simple and inexpensive mode of
making widely known the advantages we offer to
persons in search of new homes has unquestion-
ably lent great acceleration to that common
movement from abroad which is peopling our
vast prairies and developing our resources.
invite your attention to the report of the board
and solicit such further support at your hands as
the importance and value Of its labors seem to
require.
PUBLIC Examiner.
The legislature, by an act approved March IL,
1878, crested The office of public examiner and de-
fined its duties to be the exercise of constant
supervision over the financial condition and
county Offices as we'll as moneyed and savings as
sociations organized under the state laws The
first report OF the officer appointed unoer this law
will be laid before you, and hespeak your candid
and earnest consideration of its comprehensive
sta ements and exhibits. Affordlng az it does
ample evidence Of the tireless labors Of conscien-
tious officer of his power of exhaustive research
and ccar analysis vel! as Of dang errors in
existing financial methods and discef nment of
practical remedies, cnnot doubt you will Join
me in the conviction that the public is TO be con-
graduated 10th upon the establishment of the
Office and the character of its incumbent.
Much care and delay were neces sary to properly
fill IN Office demanding so many and varied quail
caions, as we'll as to bring lts PROVISIONS in prac
tcal operation, in consequence of which but seven
months are embraced in the period covered by this
report. Yet in that brief spaue the examiner has
gained comprehensive knowledge Of the different
duties imposed upon him, and has condensed into
convenient shape macs of Information of the
multitudinous details falling under his observa-
ton, which will prove IL valuable basis and
guide for intelligent legislation upon those sub
jects. Having familiarized himself with the merits
and defects OF the existing conduct of county af-
fairs, the examiner has, after careful study and
Consultation with experienced Off ials elaborated
an improved plan for the more complete control of
taxes by guar ded system of receiptjng for their
payn. ent, to which your careful attention is in
vlted. Cogent reasons are educed for his belief
that this Improvement would constitute the ground