The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-01
STATISTICAL VOLUME
MR. OWEN ISSUES MOST vA1u.
 ABLE BOOK.
Information Concerning Department
 of Alabama Government Com- piled by the State Depart ment of Archives.

The Alabama Official and Statistica Register has been received from the print
 Hon. Thomas NJ. owen Director of tS' h, Department of Archives and History The publication which. perhaps. contains more facts and statistics about Alabamt than any volume ever published, wal compiled by Mir. Owen as part of his du Archives and History.
 In the volume are contained biographi. cal sketches of all the heads of State Departments: the members of the Ala. members of the Legislature of 1903. The
 sketches are brief. pointed and full oi
 facts. There are no complimentary words
 for any of the subjects. They are as re-
 liable as energetic research can make
 them. The sketches were written with
 the chief aim of the publication steadily in view, to preserve in an ofiicial way current facts ..ch will later become val uable as a basis for history. This pur- pose is steadily pursued in the many de- partments of the important publications, of which biography in only one portion.
 The volume contains the names of the officers of all State institutions, of the principal officials of all counties. lists of of Alabama. valuable taxation statistics and a compendium of important informa- tfon as to all Constitutional Conventions held in Alabama. 1t contains the fuI, vote of the political subdivisions of the State in the recent elections. the census of every beat and town in the State and list of all the postoffices in Alabama.
 The book was prepared under an act of the Legislature of two years ago which made 1t the duty of the Director of the tory to compile an officia, and statistical register. The task was accomplished at the cost of much painstaking research. Much of the information was obtained from almost inaccessible sources. The records of the State since its earliest days have been ransacked for material for the volume.
 An unavoidable delay in the appearance of the volume was caused by the pnaSs of work which has been in the hands of the State printer.
 The register is handsome and substan- tiaily bound in dark green cloth which Is the official color of the publications of the State Department. The color is mag nolia green.
 The register Is in eleven parts, each part treating of different subject.
 Part l contains lists of State Executive Departments and Boards with sketches of the heads of each.
 Part contains the lists of Senators and Representatives in Congress from Ala bama with biographical sketches.
 Part is devoted to the Judicial De- partment.
 Part i contains the Legislative Depart ment. Tn this is embraced the orgaui- zation of both the Senate and the House, the standing committees of each and short sketch of each member.
 Part Is devoted to State institutions. It embraces a list of all State institu- tions and all their officers.
 Part is devoted to county officers. It contains lists of the principal officers of every county in the State.
 Part embraces list of every United States official in Alabama, treasury. land and court, and of all consular ofn- cers in the State.
 Part 8 is devoted to the Constitutional Conventions of Alabama. and is one of the most important divisions of the the officers and members of all Constitu- ucnai Conventions held In Alabama, namely, the conventions of 1919, 1881, 1885, lSs7 1875. and 1901. It embraces. too, the official publications issued by or in con nection with each body.
 The book Is the first effort of this kind our organic law makers. This part is particularly full as to the Con- stitutional Convention of 1901. It con- tains not only the officers and members of that body but full list of the com mittees. the three executive proclama- tions concerning 1t. and the tables of both the elections as to the holding of Gel stituticnal Convention anj the rati- fication of the Constitution.
 Part g contains the population of Ala bapa by counties and minor political li- visions.
 Part 10 is made up of miscellaneous sta tistcs. It contains statistics on tax. be nded debt, pensions, election and coun- ty, matters.
 Part II contains a full list of all the postoffices in Alabama by counties.
 The whole book is thoroughly indexed. It contains a two-column index B pages. By addenda, the book IS brought down to date. containing such recent State governmental changes as the appointment of Hon. W. T. Sanders on the Alabama Railroad Commission.
 Copies of this hand book of useful in- formation will be sent to all State offi. cials, all members of the Legislature and all State institutions.
 The book will be an official guide for Alabama until the reassembling of the Legislature four years hence.