Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-09

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066.00. and an increase in the last ten
years of s4,S41, 1882. 1t win thus he
seen that the receipts of our steam
railroads have nearly doubled since
1892.
The number of tons of freight carried
in 1902 was S.SeS,303, a gain over the
year 1892 Of 5.173,3e9 tons, or about $50
lper cent.
! The gross earnings of the street rail-
ways for the year ending June 80 1902.
were s1.573.993.9o Eight thousand. four
hundred and seventy-nine persons
We're employed upon both steam and
Istreet railroads. who received during
the year, wages amounting to s4,45S,-
$500.
Pemaquid Commission.
The commissioners in charge of Fort
| William Henry at Pemaquid will ask
| for an appropriation sufficient to prop
erly preserve and care for the fort. as
| well as for the many valuable memo
rails which have been found there.
Their report which will soon be before
you, is full of interest, and gives some
account of the work which has already
been done in this direction by citizens
CT Bristol and others. small amount
only would be required to preserve and
to some degree restore this ancient
fertilization.
Public Buildings.
Under the management and direction
of our efficient superintendent of pub-
lie buildings, many needed improve
| ments have been made in the State
capitol. These changes which have
given our State House "A much more
creditable appearance. have been made
at comparatively small cost and with
out the necessity Of any large or I'M
usual appropriations.
Bureau of Industrial and Labor Statis
tics.
There is growing interest in the
reports of the bureau of industrial and
labor statistics as the value, of the work
done by this department becomes bet
ter known ana understood This is
shown in Il constantly increasing de-
fnand for those reports, and by the
large number of inquiries received
regarding the various industries and
resources of the State, which has add
ed materially to the work Of this de-
partment. @ srv
The State library has been greatly
extended and developed during the past
two years. The section of its work
which is evidently of the greatest in
terest to the public is that connected
with the travelling libraries. There are
now eighty of these libraries in active
use, or four Thousand volumes. and the
records returned to the State librarian
show that these books annually afford
entertainment and instruction to over.
forty thousand readers. They are in
creasing in use in the small towns and
neighborhoods, and even in the lumber
camps. They are sought after by high
schools. and prove very helpful to
study clubs and oranges. There are
over one thousand institutions and or
CARNATIONS of various kinds in Maine,
representing over fifty thousand read
ers, which have a right to demand the
use of these libraries, or of any single
volume that can safely be loaned from
the State library.
There can be little doubt that the
number OF these libraries must be
doubled within the next few years. TO
meet the demand that now exists for
them, unless the Legislature shan con-
slider it wise and Just to place some
limitation upon the use of the State
library in educating the people, and
shall restrict within more narrow lin
it's the books that may be loaned.
Not only has this section of the IL
brary work been largely increased but
the exchange of public documents and
reports has nearly doubled within the
last three years, and it will be neces-
sary to set apart for its use an in.
creased number of each of these publ
cations if this system of exchange and
distribution is to be maintained.
The library has grown very rapidly
through the acquisition of books and
other works relating to historical
studies, and in its legal section. Dur
ing the past two years ten thousand
books and pamphlets have been added.
1t now contains over $4,000 law reports,
digests, and statutes, embracing de-
cisions of every court in the United
States. Canada, England Ireland, and
Scotland. There is not another library
east of Boston so fully and completely
equipped as this for the use of the stu
dent, the lawyer or the man of affairs.
The librarian reports that every avail
able inch of space where a book can be
placed is now occupied: that every
storerooln outside the library proper Is
crowded and that there is urgent need
of additional room in which to put the
rapidly accommodating volumes, as well
as to provide space for the accommoda-
ton of the people, for with all these
valuable collections. there is not a
single room where books may be con-
suited without inconvenience and in
terruption.
Maine Insane Hospital.
There were six hundred and thirty
one patients in the Maine Insane hos
pital. November S0th, 1902, three hum
bred and sixty-three of whom were
men and two hundred and sixty-eight
were women. This is an increase OF
|thirty-one over the preceding year.
There has been a slight increase in the
death-rate Que to the admission OF an
unusually large number of aged peo-
pie. but the institution has been en-
tirely free from infectious or con-
tagious diseases of any kind.