The Portland daily press., 1885-11-28
THE PINE TREE STATE.
a Good State TO be Born in and a
Good State to Live in.


Good State to Live in.
We have received pamphlet. published
under the direction of the Secretary of State,
containing the statistics of Maine, compiled
with the utmost care by Mr.. c. J. McCleery,
of this city. 1t presents; in a very interest
ing manner the present condition of the
State. its agricultural industrial, education
al, financial and commercial development;
also its many great advantages as summer
resort. Below we give few extracts:
There are in Maine 13 cities, 414 towns, 1S9
plantations and unorganized townships
Portland. the largest city, the pamphlet says,
has population of $4,000, gain of about
1000 since 1870. It, however, gained over
million dollars in wealth during the past de-
cade, and is steadily, though slowly, gaining
in population. As it is purely commercial
city, with comparatively little foreign COM
merce, the increase IN its wealth and popula-
tion depends upon the general prosperity OF
the country. Situated within a hundred
miles of Boston, its fine harbOr does not OBJ
tain the recognition from foreign shipping
merchants that it otherwise would Boston
has always had a jealous eye upon this port,
and through the persistent extension OF her
railroad facilities has succeeded in maintain
in the Pine Tree State. The railroad faclll-
ties of Portland are however, very excellent
and in the winter season, when the st. Law
renee river Is closed to navigation, the steam
ers of the Allan and Dominion steamship
companies make it their winter port, and
have, thus far, never experienced any diff
Guilty in promptly securing any trelghts de-
sired. or in forwarding to their destinations
the freights they bring to this country ON
each of their trips. We're it not cheaper TO
fo Il fraiTIta xVpcf from norris the
ST. Lawrence river than from Portland, this
city would quickly be made the permanent
terminus of the aboye-named steamers. and
possibly of other additional lines. Portland
stands third among the customs districts OIL
the country in the value of its fishing inter-
ests, and this business is growing annually
to greater proportions. In 1884, there were
142 fishing vessels registered in the Portland
district, having an aggregate OF 66o294 IONS.
-Four thousand men were employed In the
fishing industry to conduct which there was
invested 100000 of capital and the annual
product Of the fisheries for that year reached
the same figure, $2,000,O0O.
AGRICULTURAL. CONDITION..
Fully one-half of the territory of Maine is
unimproved, not because of its sterility, but
for various reasons, prominent among which
has been the lack of interest taken by the
State in making its abundant resources
known, and in holding out inducements to
settlers ana CcNClb1 9Sd1o
ago the State sold all of its public lands, SO
that it has none to grant for homesteads, but
vet there are large tracts Of desirable land IN
Aroostook county sand in the eastern and
northern portions of the State which are
ready for farms and homes at prices which
woaid give purchasers advantages over 9TH
er, and, in many respects, iess-faYored local
tiles.
Between 1860 and 1880 only four of the
New England States Maine, New Hamp-
cluc carfc1 pOain
any increase in the value OF their orchard
products. Names increase largely exceeded
either of the other States, amounting to
S610,259. The increase in New Hampshire
was $414,357; Vermont, $429, ,249; Massaehq-
sets, $79,7S4. The decrease in Rhode ISL
and was $24,940, and in Connecticut, S32,-
602. The percentage Of increase III Maine
was 121.62
The incrsase in the value of dairy products
for the same period was, in Maine, 1,7S5,053
pounds: in Vermont, 2,671 ,226 pounds. In
New Hampshire there was decrease of
.134 sos pounds in Massachusetts of 8, l06,-
Oil pounds in Rhode Island OF 129,004
pounds; and in Connecticut OF 2494, 133
pounds. The percentage of increase in
Maine was 1922; in Vermont, 11.07. The
percentage of decrease in New Hampshire
was 12.3 in Massachusetts, 22.7S; in Rhode
Island, 1912; and in Connecticut, 21.65.
Between 1860 and 1880 the number of farms
in each of the several New England States
increased as follows: Maine, S,611 New
Hampshire. 1850: Vermont, 1866; Massa-
chusetts, 2,S05; Rhode Island, $40; Conneeti-
cut, GALS. The acreage embraced in the
farms increased in only two of the States, as
| follows: In Maine, S24,907; Vermont. 60S,-
ia. In New Hampshire the total number Of
in f6u0 arid 1oSd Or
23,452. In Rhode Island there was decrease
| of GAIL acres, and in Connecticut decrease
| of AZ, ,723 acres. The acreage of unimproyed
land in Maine decreased six per cent be-
| tween 1860 and 1880.
OF the entire 64,309 farms in the State,
81 ,52S are cultivated by their owners; 1,628
are rented for fixed money rental; and l ,153
are rented for shares of the products.
MANUFACTURING INTERESTS.
The total amount of power used by the
manufacturing establishment of the State in
1880 was 100, 1856 horse power, 7S,717 of water
power and 20,759 of steam power. These
figures show an increase since 1870 Of 26.27
| per cent in the aggregate power used.
Names manufacturing rank with the other
| S ates is seventeenth in the number of
establishments, sixteenth in the amount of
capital invested, and fifteenth in the value
of production. The largest amount of capital
invested in any single industry is in the
manufacture of cotton goods-915,2 ,292, ,07s (;
the next largest is in the manufacture OF
lumber-S Sc, 1856, ,396; next comes the manufae-
ture of woolen goods-S3, ,S76,02S; tanned
leather, 81, ,459, 700; paper, 81, ,995000; foundry
and shoes Gnciuding custom work and re-
| pairing) $51, ,485, 400; mixed textiles, $780,
| $50; Touring and grist mill products, $685.
| 500; lime, $942, 1905 canned fruits and yege-
tables, $926.5S5; ship. building, SS11, 100;
| printing and publishing, S747, 900; agricul-
| tural implements, .S726, 800: oil cloth, $685.
| 900; dyeing and finishing textiles, $593,500
| At the present time there are sixty-three
| woolen mills in the State, situated in about
as many localities. The largest mills have
about ten sets of machinery, and the smallest
| three sets, the value of the sets varying from
$4,000 to $4,000, according to the location of
the mills and the character of the buildings.
| These sixty-three mills last year gave em-
| ployment to $4,103, 100 capital, and manufac-
tured SS, ,902. .161 worth of goods. The value
of the materials used was So, ,525, $40, and ST.
420,595 was disburSed in wages to 5,159 en-
ployes. Cotton manu- featuring is carried on
in more compact districts.
For good many years Maine shipyardS
have annually built greater amount of ton
mage than any other State in the Union, and,
Notwithstanding the depressed condition of
shipping the past two years, one-slXth of all
the tonnage built along the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts has come from Maine shipyards.
The following table arranged by customs
districts will give the total amount af tom
mage built in Maine for the year 1884;
DISTRICTS. 1884.
Bath 20 ,66s.65
Bangor. ......................... 456.64
Belfast 5,37462
Castine. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 9G1.94
Frenchman's Bay. ............ ........... 1910
Machias. 211591
Passamaquaddy .......................... 935.16
Portland 1,53O.20
Maldoboro' .-..-......'.-.....,...... G,502.04
Wiscasset 1,364.37
Total. .................... 4e, ,4o1 81
EDUCATIONAL.
Since Maine became an independent State,
osraat nropress has heen made in ifs aduca