The Republican journal., 1903-01-15

office OF bank and insurance examiner was
created. In 1870 the once OF insurance rance
rate Mas was organized OF sixty
eight foreign fire and marine insurance
companies then doing business IN tne Z. s1a6e' 1ade
| OF forty-fo old-line life insurance COM
panieA. then under the supervision of the
department, only seventeen were licensed
| There Is net a single stock fire insurance
1 company organized under the laws of
Maine, which is doing business IN tne state
being largely done by fore. foreign corporations
Nineteen companies, with capital aggre-
states state in 56 a"% it IS now impossible s to
secure adequate insurance in licensed com
panies 1t is unwse to impose upon these
msst eher them
to withdraw from the state, or charge in
creased premiums for insurance;
There has been much smaller number
Of incendarv fires since the NV was en-
acted giving the commissioner authority to
make Investigations. During the past two
years several persons have been convicted
ef ineendiarisn, and are now confined in
In 1901 the property loss 10 by fire in in this
the same was s1,a5e723, leaving direct
lDss to property owners of more than
$sOO,Oo0 during single year
the amount of business done in this state
by the life insurance companies during the
last ten years. On December 31st, 1901,
Asks to the amount of SIG. 462 s57 were in
force as against $31 ,726.436 December
S1st, 1891. There has also been large in.
crease in the membership OF the fraternal
are to be found in nearly every town in the
state. Over no class of insurance corpora
tions does the law give the department so
little control and there are none whose
operations should be more carefully guard
The fees Of this department in 1870
y tDy hnin inn
at that time In 1902 the fees collected
By the insurance commissioner amounted
to $16,e94.5O the largest in the history OF
1 the department; and the tax paid by the
companies was $79, 9,127.7S making total
revenue from this source of S95.S22.2S.
FORESTRY.
| The forestry commissioner. after a most
careful and thorough investigation, reports
! that there is standing in Maine today ove1
| 21,OO0, 100000 feet of spruce timber. not less
than inches in diameter at the height OF
feet. The annual growth varies from to
per cent according to the character of
the soil and other conditions, and the com.
| missioner believes it is safe to assume that
when cut jndiciously. it will make an oa av
erage yearly growth of per cent, or 63O,..
00O.o0O feet. About 662,o00,0o0 feet OF
spruce was cut in the state during the sea-
son of 1902: which is somewhat in excess
of the average amount for the past few
years.
spruce forests is nearly keeping pace with
the amount annually consumed. They are
not likely to be exterminated by our indus
tries but their greatest danger is from fire.
1t is estimated that there is also about
2,000, 100000 feet of spruce in the Andros-
coggin valley, in New Hampshire, for WHICH
| Of Maine. The new Fish River Railroad
will turn large part of the forest products
of that section to Maine manufacturers,
which formerly went down the st. John
| River to New Brunswick.
There is also large growth OF valuable
hard woods of various kinds which VIII
| ultimately be source of great wealth TO
the state and give employment to hrge
number of people.
The. forestry commissioner who has con
Quoted his Investigations with great care,
has been aided in his work by the united
States department of forestry, which during
the past year sent an expert. accompanied
to study our forests. Nearly three months
was spent in the work and the information
obtained will be be 6o of great value va boo q,
pubic lands under the care of the state
Lang agent These lands ;an are located a IL IL
eg esReH eanes Rndu9 ss5 Ras BEEN
received during the past year from the tim i'm
ber on these lands, of which nearly $1,000
complaints of trespass upon public lands are
received. and account of the tracts being
so widely scattered; much tme and labor
is required in making investigation. and
properly protecting the states interest,"
dian townshis. 50 called, in Washington as
! county. This town contains 22,4O0 acres.
1t is well located and is covered with young
trees of different varieties. which are max
ing rapid growth. The soil is fertile and it
Is a valuable tract of land
STATE ROADS.
One hundred and five towns have taken
| advantage of the act passed by the last
legislature. which provided for the improve
ment of certain highways designated there,
by as state roads. / am convinced that
these expenditures have on the whole been
wisely and judiciously made, and believe
that the system thus established offers
F, practical and progressive plan of road i'm
provement. free from many of the oblec-
tions which have been urged against othsl
methods.
This appropriation should he continued,
and should be large enough so that every
town which ma. desire TO enjoy its benefits
may be able to take advantage of its pro
visions The amount Waich Il town may re-
! ceive should also be increased
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION TO COM
MEMORATE TIE LOUISIANA
| PURCHASE.
The legislature at its last session author
! lied the appointment of Il commission to
have charge of the interests of the state at
the St Louis Exposition to commemorate
which will be held at st. Louis in 1904,
will be international i'll Its character and
| bring together exhibits of every kind
| from all parts of the world. 1t is desirable
that the resources of the state be credita
bly, represented and particularly that we
should take advantage OF this opportunity
to make more widely known the attrac-
tions which Maine presents to the summer
visitor and sportsman.
reasonable appropriation should be
made for this purpose.
INLAND FISHERIES AND GAME.
In twenty-fve states of the Union, and
| through the Dominion of Canada, Ii
| censes must be secured before non-resi-
dents may hunt certain game, or hunt at
ALL In some sections of the United States
the privilege of hunting is not extended to
non-residents. The commissioners of in
land fisheries and game in their annual re-
port, which you VIII shortly receive, rec.
ommend the enactment of a license law to
! apply to nonresident hunters of large
| game. This would afford sufficient revenue
to provide an efficient warden service and
at the same time protect our game from
come to Maine in increasing numbers each
! year, leaving little if any money among
our people and apparently relying upon the
sale Of the game which they may secure
| to defray part or all of the expense of
| their vacations. Such visitors are not de-
sirable. They are not Source of any rev.
enue to our people, and | can personally
see no reason why the state of Maine
| should maintain a game preserve for them
free of cost. The property of all our peo-
| pie bears its part of the expense Of main
| tanning this department, vet only a portion
| of our citizens participate directly in it's
benefits. Why, then, should not citizens of
privileges bear some part of the cost Of