Iron County register., 1892-10-13
MISSOURI FARM MORTGAGES

Labor Commissioner Hall Makes a Lengthy
Report-The Report as Boiled Down.
Labor Commissioner Hall of Missouri
has made lengthy report on farm
mortgages in this state. Among other
things he says:
For the sake of convenience as well as for the
purpose of deductive remarks. six tables are
submitted dividing the state into as many sub
divisions, each containing an equal number OF
counties having regard to established geo.
graphical distinctions, and as near as possible
without further dividing. grouped with refer
ence to the products that distinguish them
Table No. is northwest Missouri, composed
OF nineteen countless: Atchison, Holt. Nod
away, Worth, Andrew, Gentry, Harrison, Mer'
Ger. Grundy. Livingston. Carroll, Buchanan,
Dekalb. Clinton. Caldwell, Platte, Clay. Da-
viess, Ray.
Table No 2 is northeast Missouri, composed
OF nineteen counties: Putnam, Schuyler, Scot
land. Clark Sullivan, Adair Knox, Lewis, Linn.
Macon, Shelby. Marion, Charlton. Randolph,
Monroe, Rails. Audrain, Pike, Lincoln
Table No. 3 is central Missouri composed Of
nineteen cou,tfes: Jackson, Cass. Lafayette.
johnson. Saline, Pettis, Howard cooper, Boone.
Moniteau. Co'e. Callaway. Usage Montgomery.
6asconade, Warren, Franklin, st. Charles, st.
Louis.
Table No. 4, is southwest Missouri, composed
y.
Vernon, St. Clair. Hickory. Cedar. Polk. Bar
ton. Dade, Jasper. Lawrence. Greene. Newton.
Mcdonald. Barry. Stone, Christian. Taney.
Table No. is southeast Missouri, composed
OF nineteen countless: Jefferson, Iron. Wash .
ington, Ste. aenevieve. st. Francois Madison,
Perry, Bollinger, Cape Grardeau. Wayne. Car
ter, Ripley, Butler, Stoddard, Scott, Mississip-
p1 New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin.
Table No. 6 is south central Missouri, com
posed OF nineteen counties: Morgan. Camden.
Miller, Maries, Pulaski. Phelps, Crawford
Dent, Reynolds. Shannon. Oregon, Howell,
Douglas, Ozark.
Total, ia counties.
summary. table No. z. shows that during
the years 1890 and 1891 As, ,374 tracts were mort
gagged. besides those that were placed on record
and afterward paid OF within the two years. as
Is explained Later covering 452i, 600 acres, rep
resenting in amount $40 G63. IA OF this amount
S1O,e75,e50. or more than one fourth, is placed
in northwest Missouri, composed of e-sixth
OF the counties: containing Is per cent. OF the
population. Whenever reference to population
is made st. Louis city IS eliminated.
-Four of the counties show decrease in pop
ulation of 92, 49, 318 and ], ,11S persons respec-
lively. In one of the counties, Noiaway. the
amount of mortgages for the two years is ST.,
59.96S, which is greater than that of any other
county in the state, and besides Saline and St.
Louis, IS the only one whose showing exceeds
est number Of cattle and hogs in 1891. The
value of the surplus agricultural products for
the last year amounted to 81 So, ,529. The sur
Plus for the subdivision aggregates SIG. 1872 2S1.
or a little more than fifth of the total surplus
OF the state. Excepting the coal from Ray. is
altogether agricultural.
Table No 8, while not next in numerical
order, comes next in the amount of the mort
cages, 50 S91, ,6S2 covering 6l7 354 acres, divided
into 1888 tracts. representing 25 per cent of the
entire mortgages for the two years; the popu-
lation is 573.O15 81 per cent, four OF the
counties having decreased in Inhabitants 207e
and distributed as follows: 40, ss, s93 and 1O51
respectively.
Inc Subdivisions surplus is $31. .429, 147, or "a
per cent This showing for central Missouri;
averages better than the one preceding.
Northeast Missouri is exhibited in table No. !:
with mortgages of two years of Sc, 893. .726, or q
per cent, comprising 94637I acres divided into
1O.2S2 parcels. The population is 13 per cent
367el0. The surplus is 81. 16O, ,l99, or 1s per
cent.
These three subdivisions comprise the long
est settled part Of the state, depending for
wealth and development on the success of farm
ing to a greater extent than either of the three
remaining sections all of them combined.
Better equipped with railroads. no county but
what has one, and many more, with the Missis-
sippi river forming the eastern boundary of
northeast Missouri. while the Missouri river
1aves the shores of the northwest and divides
the counties comprising the center.
Table No. treats of southwest Missouri.
Mortgages for the two years foot up 81, ,123.5 542.
or II per cent: covering 834 532 acres Of 9, 113
tracts The surplus is s24 554, ,418 10 per cent.
The population is Al, ,3ls or IA per cent In pop
ulation its rank is next lowest that for north
east Missouri, being 13 par cent; northwest IL
per cent. and central is q per cent. This Sec
tion has four counties with no railroad or river
but the surplus is 10 per cent, while the north
east is 1S per cent. central "a per cent, north
west 20 per cent. If the four counties undevel-
oped had the same transportation facilities that
the more favored portions have, the southwest
would pass the northwest and northeast and
dispute with central Missouri the right to the
first position in surplus.
AS it is. it contains the county with the
largest surplus namely. Jasper, whose mag
nifcent showing Is S5.Sl1. 733. Henry is the
second in the state, s3.695,2l9. Bates is fourth.
S3,274 965.
Greene helps with s., ,O25, $50, while Vernon,
Barton and Lawrence each show up with over
a million. However. the ratio of mortgages is
greatly in favor of the southwest in conjunc-
ton with the proportion she bears in popula-
ton and surplus Her debt ratio for the year
1s0O and 1891 is IL per cent; northeast, % pei
cent: central, 25 per cent; northwest, 25 per
cent.
Table No. treats OF the unique southeast, OF
which little is known by the majority OF
those of the other sections caused by less inter-
communication than exists between the four
preceding sections. Her railroads running
north and south end at st. Louis, and those
running east and west have their terminal with
her borders Her mortgage debts drop down
to less than one-t third that of the southwest.
and scarcely more than a fifth of the amount of
northwest Missouri. It amounts to 81, ,lS4 2O3,
or per cent, embracing 53O,6 ,67 acres. made up
OF 8, 742 tracts. The population is 24 800, or
per cent The surplus s13. 734, OIL II per cent.
Table No deals with south central Missouri.
Population 236.3 or per cent. of the state.
Surplus s6,0l3.33s, or 4 per cent. of the state.
Mortgages 81 ,s04 94, or per cent. of the state.
The ratios are not creditable as those for the
southeast. There the population is per cent;
here it is 2 per cent. There the surplus is II
per cent: here it is per cent. There the mort
cages are 5 per cent; here they are per cent
This section embraces the Ozark range, much
of it well adapted to the production of cereals,
all of it excellent for grasses. Five of the
counties are entirely without railroad.
State Treasury Statement.
State Treasurer Stephens has filed
with Gov. Francis his report of the