The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-12
FARMING AND FINANCE IN MAINE.

The census bulletin on the Stale Of
Maine furnishes material for the study of
one Of the oldest settlements on the CONT
nent. Maine was created a County Pala-
tine in 1859, and two years afterward its
capital was the first chartered city in
America 1t is nearly as large as all the
other New England States together; 1t is
full OF lakes, and in consequence of the in
den tations OF the sea IL has an actual tide
water line $500 miles long; its soil is partly
alluvial and partly glacial, and is favorable
to forest growth. After being in the oecu-
patton of white men for two centuries and
half it has population of about $4,000
souls, divided into 10000 families, nearly
four and half persons to family.
The natural destiny of a State like Maine
would seem to be the prosecution of COM
MERGE and industry. 1t well deserves the
epithet of the hundred har bored Maine"
From PassamsquOdGy Bay 10 Portmouth
the distance in an air line is not over 225
miles, but The mariner who skirts the shore
finds harbor every mile or TWO. Yet the
foreign commerce cf Maine is small; its
chief seaport, Portland, has only 30 400
population. In the old days the shipbuiId-
ing industry was the most important in the
State, but the forests Of tall pines have
been cut down, iron has superseded wood
as material FOR ships, ard the shipbuders
Of Maine have dwiuded to a handful.
There are few eotIon-mills, wooien-mills,
tannerles and shoe-factoTies, bu; they are
all small.
OF the 10000 families in the State, G., 122
occupy farms, leaving s., 233 which are not
connected with agriculture. That the farm
eTs have inherited their avocatiOn is ap-
parent from tie fact that % per cent of them
own their farms ana only of them hire
them Over nine-tenths OF the farms in the
State are in possession of the families TO
which they belonged in former generations
1t is a matter of general knowledge that the
soil of Maine, while not actually sterile, IS
not fertile enough to enable the farmer TO
raise farm products to advantage in upeti-
tion with the alluvial plains OF the central
States; yet the proportion of farmers who
have been compelled TO mortgage their
farms to make both ends meet is Only % per
cent, while IS per cent have no incumbrance
on their property. We are 20 infer that the
rewards OF agriculture in Aaiue--handi-
capped though il is by Western compeli-
tion-ATe larger Than is com monty supposed
and that the frugality in living which was
charac teriStie OF the New ENGLAND people in
Old times prevails 10 this day
When We turn from farms to homes Of
people not engaged in agriculture marked
contrast becomes apparent. Among the lat
ter over half hire their homes, and do not
own them; in the large cities twO-thirds
Of the houses are hired by their occupants,
ana only one-third owned. 1t must be- in
ferred that poorly as agriculture may pay
In Maine, other employments are even less
Temnnerative, as they only enable one man
IN three tO buy the house he lives in. In
great cities like New York, Chicago ami
San francisco the custom Of living In hired
houses Is growing; people find it more and
more difficult to purchase houses for them
selves. In Portland, Bangor, Bath and
Augusta tie situation is probably similar.
IL is curious to observe how the people of
Maine have adjusted themselves to the
situation, and shortened sail for period OF
unprOgTesSiveness. In a bulletin issued
several months ago By the Census Bureau
ID is stated that though the value of the real
estate subject TO taxation in the State in
creased 81 per cent during the decade lSSO-91,
the Indebtedness decreased from So, %, 600
to S15,600,0 coo. The State, county and muni-
cipal Indebtedness in 1850 was sos AZ on the
$1,000 Of valuation in 1890 1t was only $50 AZ.
At tie same time there has been a decrease
in taxation for all purposes, State, county
and local, from S5.IS2,OO0 in 1880 to
81, 923. 600 in 1890. Maine may not be max
ing much money, but she is getting out of
debt, and the burden which her people have
TO bear IS slowly diminishing in weight year
by year