The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-03-06

The amount derived from sale of land dona-
ted by Congress for the purpose of establishing
the institution, together with accrued interest,
is $132,500. The farm, consisting of 376 acres,
was given by the towns of Oldtown and Orono
to the institution for its use as long as it shall
remain college of agriculture and mechanic
arts, but reverts to the towns when it shall
cease toiexist as such an institution. We find
that the college has a debt of $4,000. The in
come fund is about SIS, 200. The college pos
sesses several buildings, well suited for the
purposes for which they were constructed, viz:
domitories and recitation rooms; and it also
has small library and limited amount of
apparatus; in addition it has several good
houses for the accommodation of the pro-
fessors, a fine farm house, and good barn,
built at an expense of $4,000.
A glance at the catalogue shows that the
trustees have laid out o very broad course of
study. 1t includes not only those branches
pertaining directly to agriculture and mechanic
arts, but, also, the French language, the Ger
maa language. astronomy, logic, calculus,
physics, &c. This course of instruction is di-
vided into four courses, thereby increasing the
amount of labor done by the professors and
requiring greater number of instructors.
We believe the instruction given as thorough
as could be expected under the circumstances,
and that the instructors as body are earnest,
faithful men. Facilities for requiring practice
III vice work (iling and fitting) and forge work
are afforded by the workshops connected with
the college. A few of the students avail them
selves of the opportunities thus offered, and
spend during the course 100 hours in each shop
The work exhibited indicated considerable
progress. Some experiments have been made
in agriculture, but it is impossible for us to
give the number or the results. During the
Freshmen year the students work to some ex-
tent, in the afternoon, on the farm, and re-
ceive pay therefor. The amount paid out dur
ing the past year for such labor was $467.33.
Such, in brief, is the kind and amount of in
struction given at the College of Agriculture
and Mechanic Arts, and what has been its in
f1uence upon the agricultural and mechanical
interests of the State?
According to the catalogue, 119 pupils have
graduated during the years 1872 and 1879, in
elusive; of these 10 are farmers, % teachers,
II engineers, machinists, and the rest are
apothecaries, mechanics, editors. lawyers,
book-agents, dentists, book-keepers, doctors,
manufacturers, &c., &c. These facts answer,
we think, the above question. The expense of
educating the students deserves passing no.
tice. Comp airing the number graduated with
the expense of maintaining the institution, it
will be seen that the cost of educating each
student has been large, probably more than it
will be in the future, yet we cannot reasona-
bis expect, unless the number of students
should greatly multiply, that the expense will
that they can carry on the college, by using
the strictest economy, on an annual appropria
ton of about $5,000 hut to carry on the col
lege in accordance with the present plan, to
OlCCb now Woih-ouOpo, W luCIodSo lilo LUrdTJ,
to purchase philosophical and chemical appar-
atus, and to conduct the experiments properly,
it is evident they will need much larger sum,
While the citizens of the State will not proba-
bly, object to the annual appropriation of even
larger sum than five thousand dollars, if that
should be deemed necessary to stimulate the
agricultural and mechanical industries of the
State, they will not, in the view of the COM
mittee, approve of such an expenditure, if its
object is merely to provide for such course of
lola LID, 81
tanned quite as well elsewhere, without involv-
ing expense to the State and the consequent
increase of taxation.
In view of all these facts the committee are
unanimously of the opinion that the only true
policy for the institution to pursue is to limit
its course of instruction to branches of study
more nearly related to agriculture and the
mechanic arts, even if they are compelled to
omit French and German and the higher
mathematics, to charge tuition for instruction,
and to limit their expenditures to their income.
The House today commenced holding after
noon sessions, while the Senate decided not to,
as they were not considered necessary for the
present. In the latter branch the amendatory
bill to the liquor law, the full text of which
was printed in this mornings PRESS, was
given an unanimous passage, together with
the military appropriation of 900. 1.-THE bill
for the management of the State Insane Hos
pital was debated today in the House and so
loaded down with amendments as to defeat its
objects that it was indefinitely postponed at
the instance of its friends. The bill to author
ize the State Treasurer to procure loan of
1907 900 for the payment of State bonds due
on the fifteenth of next August was also de-
bated, and an effort was made first to have
the bonds payable in one, two and three years,
and that failing, another unsuccessful attempt
was made to have them payable in two, three
and four years. The disposition of the House
was favorable to the bill in this respect, as it
came from the Finance Committee, and which
provides for their payment as follows: 100000
in eleven years; 100000 in twelve years, and
Sl07 200 in thirteen years. and bearing interest
at four per cent annually. The only change
the bill met with was in having the bonds
issued in sums not less than $500 each instead
of $1,000, with interest payable semi-annually,
and providing that the bonds shall not be sold
less than par. The bill which was reported
consolidating the Acton, Forest and Boston
Silver Mining Companies, fives the capital
stock not to exceed $1,20O,O0O. A tramp law 4
was also passed.
The Joint Standing Committee on the State
prison submitted their report today, as follows
to the legislature:
The prisoners are generally in good health
and appear to be under good discipline. Most
of them are regularly employed in the differ
ent departments connected with the prison.
Your committee could only make limited
examination of each department and cannot
report in detail the working of any of them.
There is large stock of carriages on hand
finished and in process of construction the
sale of which during the coming season will
materially reduce the Indebtedness of the
prison.
Your committee call your attention to that
part OF the Warden's report relating to the
debts OF the prison. Many of the creditors
need their money, and claims amounting to
over $4,000 have been proved and presented
to your committee with urgent requests that
some arrangement be made for their immedi-
ate payment. For the purpose of paying the
outstanding claims against the prison, which
are now long overdue, it is the Judgment of