Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/681

 LOUISIANA 675 $529,000 bonds belonging to the free school fund and $136,000 to the seminary fund), upon which the accruing annual interest was $1,535,328. Of this amount $7,960,000 was issued to defray the expense of building levees, $4,492,000 in -payment of stock of railroad companies, $3,629,000 in aid of railroad and navigation companies, the rest for various pur- poses; $10,082,800 was issued before the adoption of the present constitution, and $12,- 226,000 subsequent thereto. The actual un- funded debt amounted to $2,074,380 36. The contingent funded debt was $4,803,683 33, consisting of bonds to the amount of $4,297,- 338 33 lent to the Citizens' bank, and $506,- 350 lent to the Consolidated bank, for which it is believed the state is fully secured. The contingent unfunded debt was $679,919 14, consisting of $479,919 14 due the general gov- ernment under the deposit act, and $200,000 due the free school accumulating fund. Be- sides these sums the state, under existing acts, was liable to be called upon to issue bonds to the amount of $21,090,500, chiefly in aid of ' railroads. Of this amount $8,087,500 was under acts passed subsequently to the adop- tion of the amendment to the constitution in November, 1870, which declares "that prior to the first day of January, 1890, the debt of the state shall not be so increased as to exceed $25,000,000." The act of Jan. 24,1874, known as the " funding act," authorizes the issue of " consolidated bonds," bearing interest at the rate of 7 per cent, per annum, and payable 40 years from Jan. 1, 1874, to the amount of $15,- 000,000 if necessary, which are to be exchanged for all valid outstanding bonds of the state and all valid warrants drawn previous to the pas- sage of the act, at the rate of 60 cents in con- solidated bonds for $1 in outstanding bonds and warrants. A tax of 5^ mills on the dollar is levied annually for the purpose of paying the interest and principal of the consolidated bonds, and is declared by the act to be a con- tinuing appropriation till the bonds are re- deemed. The act also declares that the entire tax for state purposes, except the support of public schools, shall never exceed 12 mills on the dollar, and that prior to 1914 the state debt shall not be directly nor indirectly in- creased beyond the sum of $15,000,000, and repeals and annuls all grants of state aid pre- viously made that have lapsed or been for- feited. The state institutions are the peni- tentiary at Baton Rouge, the insane asylum at Jackson, the charity hospital at New Or- leans, and the institutions for the education of the deaf and dumb and of the blind at Baton Rouge. The convicts at the penitentiary are leased to a corporation, and are chiefly em- ployed in the building and repairing of levees, the state deriving a small revenue from the lease. The number on May 9, 1874, was 410, of whom 395 were males and 15 females, 83 whites and 327 colored. The number of in- mates of the insane asylum during 1873 was 186 (87 males and 99 females) ; remaining at the close of the year, 165, of whom 76 were males and 89 females, 130 whites and 35 col- ored. The asylum buildings are inadequate, and not well adapted to its needs. The char- ity hospital was founded by a Spanish resident of New Orleans in 1786. The present build- ing, which has capacity for 630 beds, was erected in 1832 by the aid of a grant from the state and a gift from the state of Pennsyl- vania, with the assistance of benevolent indi- viduals. The hospital is open to all applicants. The number of patients treated during 1873 was 5,660 ; remaining at the close of the year, 543. The institution for the deaf and dumb has a printing office and bookbindery con- nected with it for the instruction of the pu- pils, by whom a bi-weekly paper is published. The number in attendance during 1873 was 54 (34 males and 20 females). The institution for the blind was separately organized in 1871, having previously been connected with that for the deaf and dumb, and occupies leased buildings. It has an industrial home connected with it, which is intended to pro- vide the blind with board and lodging, and to supply them with work by means of which they may support themselves. The number of pupils in attendance during 1873 was 26 (17 males and 9 females) ; remaining at the close of the year, 21. The constitution requires the legislature to establish in each parish at least one free public school, and to provide for its support by taxation or otherwise, and pre- scribes that all children from 6 to 21 years of age shall be admitted to the public schools and other institutions of learning sustained or established by the state, without distinction of color. The public schools are governed by the provisions of the act of March 16, 1870, and subsequent amendments. The state is di- vided into six divisions, the parish of Orleans forming the sixth. For each division a super- intendent of public education is appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate, for three years. The division superintendents, with the state superintendent of public educa- tion, constitute the state board of education, which chooses a secretary, and appoints for two years a board of school directors, who serve gratuitously, for each incorporated city and town of from three to five members, and for each parish except Jefferson and Orleans of five members. Jefferson has a board of directors for that portion on each bank of the Mississippi, and the board of directors for the parish of Orleans and city of New Orleans consists of 20 members, one from each repre- sentative and one from each municipal district, together with the city administrator of finance and the superintendent of public education for the sixth division ex officio. The school fund consists of the proceeds of lands granted by the United States for the support of public schools and of escheated estates, with any property that may be bequeathed for school