The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-01-09
HAPPYsHOOsIERS
Record Broken IN Many Lines in the
Year 1901.

lows:
The annual reports from all depart
ments of the state of Indiana, cover
ing the year just closed, are being
hurriedly balanced an rushed to the
state printer for official publication.
The record-breaking payment of $751;
600 on the state debt, within the
twelve months reducing it, for the
first time, to less than four million
dollars-s3, $50, O0O-and the gilt-edge
credit of the state in all money mar
kets, is but one of the long list of in
dications of unprecedented good times
in Indiana. The state, which, at one
time, was swamped in debt and had
about as bad credit as any state could
have, is now getting ready to place
herself in the list of the few states
that have no Indebtedness. The debt
has been cut down at the rate of $780,
600 or more a year, during the last
decade of republican management,
and on January l, 1907, when the last
bond can be Cancelled, Indiana will
emerge from her long fight with in
debtedness. During the past three
years the debt has been scaled down
81, 700, 900.
The reports that are just being CON-
piled, covering the past year, show
that the cost Of state administration
is stationary now at about 81, 900, 900
year. The expenditures, during
the year, aggregated s7,l29, 439. 81,
which included the extraordinary
expense of legislature and the bills
that always follow in its wake, and
the record-breaking payment on the
state debt. The collections, from all
sources, aggregated s7,35s, 14O "a and
the balance to the new year was s642,
800 80. This was 1928, 647 in excess
of the 1900 balance. OF the receipts
the current tax produced s1,257, 267.
The total assessed valuation has in
creased rapidly under the policy of
assessing nearer to true valuations.
The auditors report will show the
assessed value of the state to be ST.
$50, 445, 139. This is % per cent high
er than the assessed valuation of
Illinois property, announced from
Springfield two weeks ago as 1891, 245,
532. The current tax on the Indiana
assessment last year produced. s21, S25,
1920, to which was added 50, 9O4,
261.10 by the collection of Delinquent
cies. The high valuation assessment
policy is satisfactory, though tax rates
have not decreased, as at first prom
ised. The 22,375, O46 acres of farm
lands and improvements were ap-
praised at $40, 754, 275, town and city
lots and improvements thereon at
1925, 227, 9O3, personal at 1892, 857, 739,
and railroads and holdings at $685.
500, 12O. The railroad mileage, in
Guiding the interurban lines just put
into operation over the state, passed
the 9OOO-mile mark during the past
year.
SOURCE OF HEAVIEST EXPENSE.
The states 9O56 wards-2472 pris-
oners in her four penal and correc-
tional institutions. and 1854 patients
and beneficiaries in charitable institu-
tions-are the greatest one source of
the states expense, and this expense,
as wei as the number of inmates, is
increasing rapidly. This increase eS-
pecially applies to the insane, which
have increased in numbers from 1886
in 1898 to 1861 in 1901. The capita
cost of operating these thirteen penal
and charitable institutions ranges
from s113 for the boys reform school
to S247 for the blind asylum. Added
to these thirteen institutions are the
three higher educational institutions
maintained by the state-the state
university, the Purdue technical school
and the state normal-which drew
$3.50, 0O2.O7. The total cost OK these
sixteen state institutions aggregated,
for the year, $4,000, 2s9. 45 or 80 pei
cent of the s7,129. 1881, the total
cost of state administration.
The report covering the. public
schools of the state shows that In
diana is now spending ss,OO0,O 900 fo1
public education: chat there are 970O
schools-but five of them log buildings
and 49, S7 teachers to instruct the
75I, 1884 children of school age. The
value of the school property is s22,-
500, 255.75 and the Understanding
public school fund has increased to
$40, 800, 236. 33. Last year, truant of
fioers enforcing the compulsory educa.
tion laws, forced 25,025 truants into
school at cost of s2s, 900. Illiteracy
is but SO per cent in Indiana. OF
the foreign population 81 per cent is
illiterate.
SHORT CROPS AND GOOD TIMES.
Though Indiana produced less than