Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-08-26

printer Will SNOW Tue lOldl HuAiDoi VI
fires reported was $50; total damage
to buildings, $333,S49.17; total dam
age to contents, 1914, 142.54; total lRss,
$7O7, 991. II. Four-fifths of the loss was
returned to the owners of the property
through payments by the fire COM
panies carrying the risks on the prop
erty. Largest number of fires from
any one cause appears to have been
charged to sparks from locomotives, to
which fo~rty-nine are ascribed, carry
ing a loss of $62, 090.15. The other
causes given for the largest number OF
losses were children with matches, AZ;
prairie fires, IA; kerosene, 10; gas and
gasoline, "a. Only seven fires were re-
ported for as distinctly incediary, as
against eighteen for the previous year.
Proceedings in criminal court We're
brought in four cases, and in each
prosecution a conviction was secured,
resulting in three sentences to h
p~enitentiary and m to the reform
school.
Fourteen counties in South Dakota,
comprising Codington, Clark. Sphinx.
Brookings, Beadle. Hughes, Minneha-
ha, McCook, Hanson, DAWSON, Union,
Clay and Yankton have had 1913 land
sales within a year, the total compris-
ing 222,456 acres. The average price
an acre was $4S.24, n the average
assessed valuation for 1910 is $10.19
an acre. Upon the basis Of the assess
ed valuation, the average true valuation
of all lands in these counties for the
present year is $49.7C. By the same
process of computation the average
true valuation in 1906 was $33.O5 an
acre, the increase in four years being
$16.65 an acre or a gain of SO per
cent. For the purpose of this computa-
tiun counties axe chosen which gre
fairly representative of the b~alanc9tof
the state east Of the river. The in
crease in the price of lands west of
the river for the same period would
be much more han is here shown.
State Secretary Policy in his report
will not make any recommendation
in regard to the department, but will
show what has been lone financially
for the fiscal wear ending June 80
last. the total receipts reaching $22,-
322.72. In the year 11S churches ha g
been incorporated, and sixty-four So
cial and benevolent associations re-
ceived charters. The banking indus
try has evidently fourished with 119
new banks started on their way. Com
mercial corporations other than banks
numbered 1,643, and 1914 foreign cor
porations came under the provis Il
of law required Of them in this stat.
There were 1,769 notarial commissions
issued for the year 1862 auto licenses
were granted. The pardon power has
not been used to any great extent, as
the total number of cases in which
clemency was granted was only if
teen.
Acting as a board of review, the
state assessment board, has reduced
the assessment of the Adams Express
company to 100000; reduced the as
sessment of the Pullman company
$40, 900, and gave the Northwestern
railway a reduction of O. 1000 on the
assessment placed against them at
Huron, but declined to make any
change in the assessment of Pierre.
The state levy for the next year was
placed at 4 mills, and the levy On cor
porate property was fixed at % minis,
an increase of 3 mills over last year.
The 4-mill levy for state general taxes
will bring the state about a million
and a quarter dollars from that source.
While the politicians are taking their
months vacation the equal
suffrage workers are not allowing any
opportunities 90 for promoting their
suffrage propaganda. They are ad-
dressing letters to the various candi-
dates asking that they be allowed to
send representatives with them on
their campaign rounds, these rep e.
%sentatives to be given fifteen min
utes at the close of each meeting to
talk to the voters. Their plan is to
include all political meetings, w4ich
they naively say will eliminate any
p~artisanship from such a movement.
The governor appointed as delegates
tiona1 Conservation congress to be
held at st. Paul, in October, Mrs. Mary
N. Farr, Pierre; Mrs. Jessamine Lee
Fox, Vermiilion; Mrs. Loren King
Fairbank, Huron, Miss Emma C. Hall,
Milbank; Mrs. John Stanley, Hot
Springs; Mrs. Julius H. Johnson, Fort
Pierre. These ladies are all prominent
in club work in the state.
The auto industry is 1%ourishing in &
South Dakota all right. The regis
tration for the month of July going
up to SIS, or more than nineteen a
day for every day in the month. The
total number of machines registered
up to the close of the month was $3.50
nearly half of which have been regist-
ered this year.
Figures of the preliminary report
of the commissioner of insurance re-
lating to the different companies do
ing business in the state in 1909 show
that the people of the state paid out /,
for all classes of insurance that year
$4,S49, 965.47.
The Roman Catholic Mutual Pro
tective society, a fraternal society
with headquarters at Madison. Ia.
has been authorized by the state in
surance department to transact bust
ness in this state.
Governor Vessey has granted paroles
for Alfred Martin, sentenced from
Pennington county on a charge Of as
sault with intent to kill. L. w. BOrSt,