Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-01-17

lions 70 assessors. Section Is, chaptr 1U7, lawn
OF 1874 requires that al classes OF property
SHAH be assessed AT the true value thereof
| In money" Section s.. Of the same chapter.
however, Directs assessors 70 assemble At the
county seat, on the nrst Monday Of March Of
each year. land then agree upon IN equal basis
OF valuation OF such property IS they may be
called upon to assess" The assessors invari-
| ably interpret the last quoted provision Is
authorizing them to fix any basis Of valuation
they may deem proper. and. rule. agree on
| basis" OF one-third or one-fourth Of tho real
cash value. But In actual work. even this basis
| Is frequently disregafded by assessors. and
numerous instances can be cited. in nearly
every county. where property is assessed At not
to exceed ten per cent. OF its real vslue.
the county clerks. at . convention recently
neId, adopted . resolution looking to the cleo
ton OF . county assessor for each county. The
omcers making this suggestion have knowl-
eage and experience touching the practical
working OF our assessment laws, that entities
questions involved, however. are complex. and
1t Will be dihoult to establish . system that win
not De open - some objections But it is GER
| tain that .asore unfair. Inadequate and objec-
tionable system than that now provided by our
| laws can not be devised. Any change, there
! fore. would be an improvement. i'sti
| This subject is Of such general and grave i'm
portance that it should receive your prompt,
careful and intelligent consideration. 1 call
your attention to the suggestions made in the
fifth biennial report OF the late State Treasurer
| desire to add that, in my estimation, IL is
| essential that the powers of the State Board of
| Equalization shall be largely increased
| PUBLIC EDUCATION.
| The report OF the State Superintendent OF
| Public Instruction, which is submitted here
| with, shows the public school system of the
| State to be in a condition n UT and
| improvement. Our school Neutrality-suspicious.
| between the ages offs and II years, now numbers
| $4,000. an increase OF 81. sa5 during the past
| TWO years. The number OF scholars enrolled
during the last school year was 4O3, 351, an in
| crease of 49, liz over 1856. The average daily
attendance was 245,83l, an increase of 2, 97S.
Number OF teachers employed in 1886. 9,3S7; in
| 1885, H. BIO. The average wages paid teachers
per month were: Males, Sn.O1: females, 1856.
There were in the State, at the close of the hs-
cal year, g. 1876 school houses, having 10, l42
| and valued at "a, 6oS, 2C2an increase of ], 4O5
school houses, .958 rooms and e. 15, AS in val
| uation during the past two years. The receipts
| and expenditures for school purposes during the
school year ended July 81, 1888, were as follows:
Balance in district treasures August !. 1887,
| So53,SO.lU; amount received from county treas
| urers from district taxes, <3O75, S67.81; from
State and county school funds, so53, 800. 20;
from sale OF school bonds, $500 597. 50: from all
other sources, $s02, $50. s4-making total Of t5-
| 265 613. So
Amount paid for teachers wages and super
vision. g. q. 1899; for rents repairs, fuel and
incidentals. 1886. SOL; for district libraries and
school apparatus. $62 $685. ~; for Sites buildings
and furniture, $1,O5l, 1874 81; and for all other
purposes, $275, 6s9. 16-malking total of St.70S
647 "a and leaving in the hands of district treas
| urers July 81, 1888, balance of 1851, $500.
STATE CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The Board of Trustees of State Charitable
Institutions has discharged its arduous duties
with creditable industry and ability, and its
| biennial report embodies detailed information
concerning the condition and needs of the in
situations under its supervi sion. These are all
In healthy and prosperous condition. Their
management is in excellent hands, and each is
doing the work assigned to it with greater effi-
cheney and vigor than at previous time in
| its history This judgment is confirmed by the
universal testimony OF the communities where
they are located, and by all no have visited
them The State has just reason to be proud
| OF the work accomplished by these institutions,
and of the high reputation they enjoy among
public charities of similar scope and aim
throughout the Union.
The Institution for the Blind had in attend
ance on January 1, 1885, sixty-three pupils; at
the present time it has IS pupils enrolled. Dur
ing the year 1885 boiler house and laundry
costing 81. 90, were built and during the past
two years large addition to the main building,
costing S18, O0l, was completed.
The Institution for the Deaf an Dumb had,
on January ]. 1885, 172 pupils. It now has 321
| enrolled. Two large school bui 1dings and q
laundry have been erected during the past four
| ton for the Deaf and Dumb now ranks, in SIZE
| as the eighth in the United States.
The State Reform School had 103 pupils en-
rolled on January !, 1>S5; it now has POS. Dur
| dining hall, with chapel in second story a
boiler house and laundry, a barn and q water
tower have been built, at total cost Of $54, 512
The Soldiers Orphans Home is a newly Or
| ganized institution, authorized by the Legisla-
ture of 1885, and opened for the reception of
| children July /, 1887. It was soon crowded be-
yond its capacity, and is now the home of 100
| orphan children of deceased soldiers of the
| Union.
| The Asylum for Idiotic and Imbecile Youth
was removed to Winfield in March, 1887 There
| are now over 100 children cared for in this in
| stitution. The new building is well adapted for
| the uses Of such an asylum, and was completed
| at cost of S25, 900.
| The insane asylums at Topeka and Osawato-
| mic now contain LIB patients. On the first OF
July. 1882, the insane patients in these asylums
numbered 548; on the same date, 1884 the num-
Der had increased to 692; July /, 1886, to SS1,
| and July ], 1885, to 1,191.
| During the past four years the State has ex-
| pended for new buildings, and for permanent
| improvements at its insane asylums, over s353
| OOO Yet to-day it is confronted with an appar-
ent necessity of providing additional accommo-
dations for this class of helpless dependents.
| The maximum capacity of the Topeka asylum
| is stated at 700, and that of the Osawatomie
asylum at SOL There I.2Oa patients
cared for in the two institutions.
| THE SUPREME COURT.
| For many years past it has been impossible
for the three Judg es OF the Supreme Court to
| dispose of the large number of cases brought to
| that tribunal for adjudication. called the at
| tention of the Legislature to this fact, in my
| messages of 1885 and 1887, and at the last ses-
sion of that body an act was passed authorizing
| the appointment of three commissioners, to as
sist the court in the performance of its duties.
| These officers we're appointed, and I am ad-
vised, by the judges of the court, that they have
| discharged all the duties assigned them with
energy and ability. During the existence of the
Commission its members have written opinions
in 362 cases.
] PRISON MATTERS.
| The reports OF the Directors. Warden and