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398

NEBRASKA BLUE BOOK, 1930

RECEIPTS AND SHIPMENTS OF STOCK AT SOUTH OMAHA. 1884 TO 1929

Years	Cattle		Calves		Hogs		Sheep		Horses and Mules
	Receipts	Shipments	Receipts	Shipments	Receipts	Shipments	Receipts	Shipments	Receipts	Shipments
1884.	88,603	83,469			3,686	752	5,593	I 2,009	489	419
1894	821,512	120,656			1,932,677	401,231	243,945	112,181	8,294	6.111
1904	944,192	260,770			2,299,627	210,787	1,754,366	818,995	46,845	45,723
1914	938,811	394,461			2.258,620	330,666	2,113,880	1,198,311	30,688	26,623
1924.	1,758,924	675,081	103,622	40,118	3,978,288	855,005	2,844,421	1,101,042	12,435	9,623
1925	1.592.599	559,990	116,221	20,942	3.355.207	929,857	2,419,551	828,475	15,332	12,644
1926	1,692 059	622.444	123.011	35,455	2,647,289	879,321	2,779,761	1,156,295	15,692	13,050
1927	1,463,382	523,911	97,591	24,529	2,630,731	698,176	2,603,508	1,114,315	15,519	11.526
1928	1,423,258	578,115	94,496	36.030	3,179,211	1,001.279	3.037,119	1,294,549	17,743	13,638
1929.	1,444,210	588,214	102,223	43.171	3,1 65,793	888,093	3,030,619	1,333,654	20.991	16,116

INDUSTRIES

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NEBRASKA INDUSTRIES

     Nebraska is the most purely agricultural state in the Union. The manufacturing industries of the state are, naturally, chiefly the outgrowth of the basic industry, agriculture. The other natural resources of the state are also used in production, and the various industries that have to do with the maintenance of a modern civilization are carried on more or less extensively. The United States Bureau of the Census is relied upon for most of the following statements concerning industry in Nebraska.
     The value of the manufactured products in Nebraska increased from $221,615,848 in 1914 to $420,296,190 in 1927, an increase of almost 100 per cent in thirteen years. The number of wage earners in these industries in 1927 was 26,110, the number of factories or establishments, 1,277, and the wages paid, $34,296,241. The leading centers of manufacturing are Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Grand Island and North Platte. The cost of raw materials was $326,917,490.
     The leading manufactures of Nebraska in the order of their commercial values are:--meats, butter, cheese and condensed and evaporated milk; flour, feed and grain mill products; cars and general car repairing; bread and other bakery products; news paper and periodical printing and publishing. Other products of importance in the order of their values are:--book and job printing; gas; foundry and machine products; feed products; structural and ornamental iron; lumber and mill work; ice cream; confectionery; ice; paints and varnishes; shirts; beverages; marble, slate and stone work; cannery products; furniture; concrete products; leather goods and harness. Many and varied minor industries are carried on.
     Of growing importance is the production of sugar, Nebraska having moved into second place among the states in sugar output in 1929, the total amounting to 280,000,000 pounds.
     Another growing industry is the manufacture of cheese, the output of the factories having increased from 60,000 pounds in 1920 to 3,294,175 pounds in 1929.
     The fur industry, both the marketing of the pelts and the manufacture of the furs for use is growing in volume. Nearly $1,000,000 worth of raw fur is produced in the state annually. The pelts are obtained from muskrats, skunks, beaver, opossums, mink, coyotes and other small animals. In 1927 the state licensed 5,000 trappers and 500 fur buyers.
     Manufacturing is in its early infancy in Nebraska, but the possibilities for development are unlimited.

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NEBRASKA BLUE BOOK, 1930

TRANSPORTATION
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

     Since Nebraska had no organized government until it became a territory, the only roads prior to that time were trails blazed by travel across the plains. Some of these, the Oregon trail for example, were among the most traveled roads in the world. The first government highway was authorized by congress on February 17, 1855. This road was to extend from a point opposite Council Bluffs to New Fort Kearney. Prior to this time a few post and military roads had been established by act of congress, and new ones were added by an act of March 3, 1855. On March 3, 1857, congress appropriated $30,000 "for the construction of a road from the Platte river via Omaha reserve and Dakota City to the Running Water river.' This road followed the Missouri river for 208 miles and was several years under construction.
     The first territorial legislature, by an act approved March 16, 1855, provided for the manner of surveying public roads. Sixty-six feet was the prescribed width of such roads. A number of acts approved March 14 and 15 of that session appointed commissioners to lay out territorial roads from certain settlements to certain other settlements or specified localities. In all 155 territorial roads were projected by the twelve territorial legislatures. For some years after 1867; the state legislatures passed similar laws. Most of these acts provided vaguely that the cost of a road should be borne by the counties through which it ran. In one case--that of the road from Plattsmouth to Archer--it was provided that all able-bodied male inhabitants between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five should work on the road two days of each year.
     On January 26, 1856, the first county road law was approved. Authority concerning roads was vested in county commissioners. Roads were to be kept open and in repair forty feet wide. A poll tax of two days' labor annually was required of able-bodied male citizens between the ages of twenty-one and sixty years, outside of the incorporated municipalities. The commissioners might levy a tax, not to exceed two mills, on the county outside the municipalities for roads. Road districts were to be established and road supervisors appointed by the commissioners. Congress was memorialized by this legislature for aid in the building of certain roads. Congress was again memorialized by an act of November 4, 1858, to appropriate for the construction of a bridge across the Platte.
     An amendment to the county road law approved January 11, 1860, named four rods (66 feet) as the legal width of a county road. Another amendment approved January 11, 1861, made the office of road supervisor elective. Another act of the same date regulated the disposal of the road fund. One-third of the entire road fund was to be expended by the commissioners for the general benefit of county roads, the other two-thirds to be spent in the several districts where

the funds were collected. Men over forty-five were exempted from the poll tax. An act of January 10, 1862, was substituted for the existing road laws.
     One of the early attempts at road making was the old steam wagon road, which was projected from Nebraska City out into the west in 1862. The county commissioners of Otoe county agreed to spend $2,000 in preparing a road for the steam wagon. This pioneer motor vehicle broke an axle a few miles out of Nebraska City on its maiden trip and the steam wagon project was abandoned. The "Steam wagon road" remained as part of the Denver trail and was one of the most traveled highways in the west.
     The legislatures of 1869, 1871 and 1873 declared section lines to be public roads in the various counties. Such roads were to be four rods wide.
     The Platte river bridge fund was created by the legislature of 1871. The foundation of the fund was derived from the sale of fifty sections of land from the government grant of land for internal improvements. This fund was used to pay the interest on bonds issued by counties to construct bridges across the Platte.
     The legislature of 1875 added to the duties of road supervisors that of putting fire guards along the roads, and required the secretary of state to publish and distribute the road laws to road supervisors. These laws are now published privately, and distributed by county boards.
     The constitution of 1875 abolished special taxes by requiring all taxes to be levied upon valuation of property. This abolished the special road tax of four dollars on each quarter section then existing. This tax was levied, however, in certain counties in 1876, and the succeeding legislature formally legalized those levies.
     The road law was rewritten by the act of March 1, 1879. County boards designate road districts outside of the incorporated municipalities, and road overseers are elected as other officers are elected, for terms of two years, except in counties having, township government, where they are appointed for one year. The funds for establishment, improvement, and maintenance of roads are derived:
     1. From a county levy which may not exceed one and seven-tenths of a mill for roads and one and six-tenths of a mill for the county bridge fund.
     2. From a poll tax of $2.50, payable by male inhabitants between the ages of twenty-one and fifty, with certain exemptions.
     3. All inheritance taxes.
     4. Registration fees for motor vehicles.
     5. A tax of four cents on every gallon of gasoline sold in the state.
     6. Special levies for certain improvements.
     7. Federal aid funds for highways.
     One-half of all the money collected as road fund constitutes a county road fund to be divided equally among the several commissioner dis-

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tricts of the county, the other half of the money so collected and all money derived from labor or poll taxes is to be spent in the districts from which it is collected.
     The county surveyor in counties of over 50,000 population is the superintendent of construction in road and bridge work. He makes all surveys and prepares plans and specifications, and inspects material. All bridges costing over $500 must be built from uniform plans approved by the state department of public works. The legislature of 1911 made an annual levy of one-fifth of a mill for aid to counties in building bridges over streams one hundred or more feet wide. Provision was also made for the appointment of county highway commissioners by county boards. In counties having 50,000 or more population the county surveyor is to perform the duties of highway commissioner.
     The legislature of 1917 complied with the terms of the federal aid road act of July 11, 1916, by pledging the good faith of the state to provide the necessary funds.
A revolution in Nebraska highway construction and maintenance was accomplished by the legislatures of 1917 and 1919. In principle this revolution was a return to the old territorial system of establishing highways by direct act of the legislature.
The new legislation is based upon Federal Aid Road Acts approved July 11, 1916, and November 9, 1921. These provided for grants of money to states for the construction of public highways, provided the states would appropriate equal sums and that the state highway system should meet the approval of the federal engineers.
     Since 1917 the state highway department has supervised construction work, including work now under construction, as follows:

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