Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/597

 FINANCE, DEFENCE — PRODUCTION, COMMERCE, ETC. 475

are 43 benevolent institutions in the State, nearly all being provided by private or ecclesiastical charity. They comprise 12 hospitals (one public), 10 orphanages (one public), 20 homes for adults (one public), and a school for the deaf (public). Blind children are sent to an institution at Boston at the expense of the State, Avhich also makes grants in aid of charitable associations. The overseers of towns have charge of the poor, and of the poor farm and buildings and may cause all their paupers to be supported there, but veterans may not be sent to an almshouse. Towns may contract for the support of their poor. Settlement is obtained by resi- dence for 5 successive years without poor relief and entitles a pauper to sup- port. Parents, grandparents, children, and grand-children are liable for each other's support. It is a punishable offence to bring a pauper into a town where he has no settlement. Towns are reimbursed by the State for the support of a pauper who has no legal settlement in the State.

Finance, Defence. — For 1912 the amount of revenue and expenditure was as follows : —

Dollars

Balance from 1911 502,202

Receipts in 1912 5,321,711

Total 5,823,913

Payments, 1912 5,366,785

Balance, January 1, 1913. . . 457,128

The bonded debt, in 1912, amounted to 269,000 dollars.

The total valuation of the cities, towns, and plantations for 1911, as certified by the municipal assessors, amounted to 404,397,651 dollars, an increase over the valuation of 1910 of 10,346,243 dollars. These figures do not include the valuation of the wild lands, as fixed by the Board of State Assessors, which is 41,279,390 dollars.

The National Guard of Maine contains 1,398 enlisted men (cavalry and infantry) and 134 officers. The Naval Militia has 7 officers and 109 men.

Production, Commerce, Railways.— The products of Maine are

derived chiefly from agriculture, forestry, quarrying, and fisheries. The State has, besides other attractions, excellent hunting and fishing, and is a favourite summer resort. The soil is not generally fertile, an important exception being that of the Aroostook valley, which is \vell adapted for tlie gi'owing of fruit and vegetables. In 1910 the State contained 60,016 farms with a total acreage of 6,296,859 acres, of which 2,360,657 acres Avas improved land. The chief crops are oats (1912), 4,602,000 bushels; maize, 640,000 bushels : buckwheat, potatoes and hav. In 1910 the farm animals comprised 119,000 horses, 175,000 milk cows!| 139,000 other cattle, 254,000 sheep and 62,000 swine. The wool clip amounted to 900,000 pounds of wool, valued at 208,000 dollars in 1910.

In 1911 the quarries yielded granite to the value of 2,263,200 dollars ; slate, 263,516 dollars. In the State there are mineral springs, which in 1911 yielded 1,254,783 gallons, valued, at 431,740 dollars. The value of the total mineral output in 1911 was estimated at 4,645,630 dollars.

In the State are large granite works, cotton mills, paper mills, manufac- tures of clothing, &;c. In 1910, according to the census of manufactures of