The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-12-27
DEPARTMENT NOTES.
STATE DEPARTMENT.

The charter of the Galveston I'm.
provement Company was filed yester.
day. The capital is nominal, as stated
In the 3plication, but is supposed to
be COTS .erable, as the object is for
harbor Improvement. The incorpor-
ators are Henry A. Peeler, William
Il. Johnson, g. b. Gardner, Z. S. Wren,
X. III. Turner, f. K. Singer and Thos.
Hitcher.
The charter of the Huffman I'm
provement Company, of Fort Worth,
was also filed yesterday with the sec
rotary of state. The capital stock is
fixed at $100,900, and w. A. Huffman,
w. M. Evans and Geo. B. Hendrick
are named incorpofators.
CONTROLLERS DEPARTMENT..
The comptroller was yesterday Of
fered $4,000 of Red River county,.
and $4,000 Harris county bonds.
which he declined to purchase for
want of sufficient cash to the credit of
the school fund. The counties will
have to wait awhile now till the per-
man ut school fund further accumu-
laUes.
He paid into the treasury $41 900 for
the nefit Of the general revenue, be-
account of receipts for amounts
transferred from the available
fund to the general revenue
are III organized and fifty IN
) zed counties in Texas. Wilson
q was the last to send in its as
b, 'nts to the comptroller.
comptroller is framing instruc-
tic % county assessors as to leases
and the manner of assessing railway
rights of way and road beds. The
p :sions IF the statutes on the sub
Jeo. will be fully quoted and construed
forl the better understanding of
parties interested.
The fact that the comptroller de-
clines for the present to further pur-
chase county bonds for the permanent
school fluid indicates that county
bonds have been purchased to the eX-
tent of the fund, which was about
$1,50O,O0O.
PENITENTIARY BOARD.
This board held a meeting yester-
day and considered a communication
from Com es 81 Fairris, contractors of
Rusk penitentiary, to be allowed to
take 300 instead of 1000 cOnYicts on
the LIST of January, as called for by
the contract, this being in conse-
quence of unforeseen delays and diff
cultles attending the procurement of
timber and coal, and asking the priyi-
lege to increase the number as tae |
works and demand develope. The
board agreed to all this reduction in
the force, provided that when the |
contractors applied for any additional !
force in the future the board will only !
be required to furnish such force as |
no 1I1nTlliaA- lt,n II -
the interests of the state and other |
existing contracts; and this change
in tie orig nal contract will not be |
agreed to by the board until the con-
tractors have presented the written
consent of their sureties to the change, !
Communications were read from Col, |
Geo. w. Grant, of Huntsville, asking |
an adjustment of a mistake made |
by officials soon after the penitentiary |
was located at Huntsville in burying |
convicts on his land. This matter
has been previously under considera-
ton by the board, and Superintendent |
Goree was at the meeting yesterday |
authorized to make the most equita- !
BILE arrangement practicable with Col. |
Grant, who, 1t seems, has not been
paid for land bought from him.
The superintendent account of eX-
penditureS for machinery and i'm
provementS at the Rusk penitentiary,
amounting to $14 ,33815 for the past |
two months, was examined and ap-
proved, together with accompanying |
vouchers for same
A requisition for S625.44 was issued |
in favor of Financial Agent Brahan,
being balance of appropriation for
completing work and buying machin- |
cry for the Huntsville penitentiagy,
made by the called session of the Sew |
enteenth legislature.
Superintendent Goree's monthly re-
ports for October and November were |
received and filed.
The superintendent October report !
shows forty-siX new convicts re-
ceived at the Huntsville and |
forty-two at the Rusk peniten-
tiary during the month; recap
lures at both seven; discharges at
the Rusk IA, at Huntsville 49; escapes
at both, II; pardons 3; deaths 4; con-
vict laborers located on farms, rail-
roads, ETC., from Huntsville, 1910,
from Rusk 681; Total convicts of the
two penitentaries, 1921.
The November report shows: New
convicts at Rusk, 80, at Huntsville
sc; recaptures 3; discharges 80; es-
capes IL; pardons 4; deaths Z; loca-
lions from the Huntsville, 1896; from
the Rusk, 6S3 convicts. Total con-
victs of the two penitentiaries. 2379.
STATE ENGINEERS DEPARTMENT.
Col. Britton, state engineer, furnish
es the following summary of his rail-
road inspections:
Total mileage including side-tracks, GAS miles,
+" Locomotives, COZ
" Passenger care, 2S6
:" Express, baggage & freight cars 1900.