Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/275

 PENNSYLVANIA 265 imprisonment for felony, and becoming a luna- tic or non compos mentis. The legal rate of interest is 6 per cent. Pennsylvania is repre- sented in congress by two senators and 27 representatives, and has therefore 29 votes in the electoral college. The national guard of the state is divided into ten divisions. In 1874 there were 19 'regiments, 169 companies, 738 officers, and 8,261 enlisted men. The public debt of the commonwealth on Dec. 1, 1874, amounted to $24,568,635, of which $24,371,- 884 was funded and $196,751 unfunded. The former embraced $19,321,530 in 6 per cent., $4,963,354 in 5 per cent., and $87,000 in 4 per cent, loans. The total receipts into the state treasury during the year ending Dec. 1, 1874, were $5,871,968, and the expenditures $6,642,- 567; balance in the treasury, $1,054,551. In Pennsylvania there is no state tax upon real estate, and but a very light one on personal property, the revenues being derived princi- pally from the taxation of corporations. Of the total revenue ($5,871,968) in 1874, $3,811,- 669 was received from corporations (including $2,936,509 from direct taxes and $875,160 from interest on bonds, commutation, &c.) and $2,060,299 from taxes on the people generally. Of the latter amount, nearly one half was de- rived from licenses, and was therefore an in- direct tax on the people. The taxes derived from corporations during three years were as follows : SOURCES OF REVENUE. 1872. 1873. 1874. Kailroad, canal, express, navigation, and transportation companies Coal, iron, improvement, mining, and manufacturing companies $2,412,780 75 488197 88 $2,869,082 80 660588 52 $1,256,459 54 573879 64 Passenger railroad companies 74184 40 74,537 19 43984 11 Bridge turnpike and plank-road companies 31 231 61 84868 25 27' 611 24 Banks 841 021 81 842499 63 329 693 80 Counties, cities, and boroughs 102464 21 107057 19 111 322 85 Gas and water companies ... ... 36750 26 50' 683 92 80977 12 Oil companies 90482 98 48221 87 83909 70 Telegraph companies 6564 50 7 952 01 7207 11 116389 59 lis'990 76 87017 78 Insurance companies (foreign), licenses, &c 851 896 08 353490 78 292775 07 Premiums on corporation charters 101,584 74 68,343 76 56,498 13 Annuity for right of way (Erie railroad) 10000 00 10000 00 10,000 00 All other companies and associations 24698 01 46 686 00 82233 87 The entire revenue in 1872 was $6,738,347, and in 1873 $7,077,073. The most important sources of revenue in 1874, other than taxes on corporations, were as follows : Tax on personal property $545,523 Tax on writs, wills, deeds, &c 157,783 Bonus or premiums on charters 56,498 Collateral inheritance tax 350,676 Retailers', tavern, &c., licenses 871,803 Collections on outstanding indebtedness 875,160 Miscellaneous 134,518 Of the total revenue of 1874, $3,054,939 was appropriated to the sinking fund, and $2,817,- 029 to the general expenses of the state gov- ernment. The most important items of state expenditure for three years were as follows : OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE. 1872. 1873. 1874. Senate $171,845 236,689 101,047 30,830 831,474 83,034 22,122 $107,037 260,763 131,916 40,508 848,916 94,518 72,242 410,723 $134,460 269,084 152,252 14,320 388,800 141,706 63,437 86,461 202,782 43,889 689,889 419,295 888,082 1,262,234 1,466,374 24,474 101,738 42,500 68,762 71,815 House of representatives. . Public printing Executive department Judiciary. . Public offices. Constitutional convention. . Publishing new constitution Pensions and gratuities Charitable institutions. Soldiers 1 orphan schools. . Common schools Loans redeemed, &c.. . Interest on loans Inspectors of coal mines Public buikTgs and grounds Houses of refuge Penitentiaries 54,831 441,527 471,986 667,191 2,511,172 1,706,032 24,775 29,636 71,900 58,324 50,334 439,307 469,308 804,097 1,551,762 1,563,029 28,228 90,591 55,325 73,882 According to the federal census, the true value of real and personal estate was $722,486,- 120 in 1850, $1,416,501,818 in 1860, and $3,- 808,340,112 in 1870. The total assessed value in 1860 was $719,253,335, including $561,- 192,980 real and $158,060,355 personal estate; and in 1870 $1,313,236,042, including $1,071,- 680,934 real and $241,555,108 personal estate. The total assessed value of real and personal estate was returned by the state authorities at $1,087,793,844 in 1873, and $1,770,765,415 in 1874, including real estate valued at $1,620,- 214,930, and personal estate at $150,550,485. The true value of real and personal estate in 1874 was reported at $3,425,325,415.^ The commissioners of statistics in 1874 estimated the value of taxable property in the common- wealth at $4,300,619,558, as follows: Railroads, canals, and telegraphs $318,918,735 Banks and money dealers. ?&S Insurance and manufacturing i^u,uuu,uw Wholesale and retail merchants and liquor deal- ers, &c 200,000,000 True value of real and personal estate on as- sessors' books 8,425,825,415 A levy of 1 per cent, on this valuation would yield a sum equal to the taxation now imposed for all purposes. Since 1869 the charitable and correctional institutions of the state have been subject to the general supervision of the board of commissioners of public charities, consisting of seven members, who are ap- pointed by the governor and report annually to the legislature. A general agent and secretary visits the institutions and reports upon their condition, receiving a salary of $3,000. In 1874 the following appropriations were made by the legislature in aid of public institutions :