Other societies were organized upon what is known as the "graded assessment plan," which means that they levied assessments, graded according to age at admission, but not varying in amount, as the risk of death increased with the increasing age of the member. Many very successful fraternities, so far as number of members is concerned, have been built up on this plan, which is yet in common use, though now being generally discarded.

Experience has shown that neither of the two plans mentioned can be permanently continued. In both cases the mortality of the entire membership bears eventually so heavily upon the younger members that the growth stops, and unless a change of plan is adopted the institution fails. This fact has been realized in recent years by the managers of all the fraternities. At first it was thought that a solution of the difficulty was found by a continuous growth or "new blood;" then by maintaining "an average age,' then by means of "gains from lapses," but now the idea has been generally accepted by managers of fraternities that the only sound plan must be based upon recognition of the fact that mortality increases with age.

Some fraternities have attempted to meet the increasing mortality by means of an increasing rate of assessment, but as this rate of assessment becomes practically prohibitive at the higher ages it results in excessive mortality at those ages among members who remain, the good lives dropping out, which prevents any mortality table from applying,

Various modifications of the "step rate plan" have also been proposed, and some fraternities are now employing level premium plans also. They are more commonly using the National Fraternal Congress mortality table, which is believed to represent closely the average experience of well-conducted companies.

The volume of insurance in the fraternities of the United States is very great, being in excess of $6,000,000,000, and nearly, if not quite, as large as the insurance in the "old-line" companies. One fraternity also has as much or more insurance in force than any "old-line" company. Their assets are small, their plans hitherto, whether on one basis of assessment or another, being current cost plans, but they have conducted their business at so small an expense that it is generally thought that a change to a sound basis can readily be made, and that the advantages will still be, in the United States as in Great Britain, so great on account of economy of operation and convenience of payment that the fraternities can readily continue to compete with "old-line" insurance in the field.

The last development is the organization of two fraternities, the Fellowship of Solidarity and the Fraternal Reserve, upon "old-line" plans, binding themselves to put up the full legal reserve and charging premiums, payable monthly, sufficient to do so, but with a very small provision for expenses. These fraternities employ the American Experience Table of Mortality, the standard table in most States.

Towa.

Capital:
DES MOINES.

Iowa was originally included in the Louisiana purchase of 1803. The first white settlements were made by a French Canadian, Julien Debuque, who obtained a large grant of land in 1788 and built a fort at the site of the present city of Dubuque. In 1834 the territory now included in the State of Iowa was placed under the jurisdiction of Michigan and later under that of Wisconsin. On June 12, 1838, it was erected into a separate territory and then included a greater part of Minnesota and all of the Dakotas. On December 28, 1846, Iowa was admitted to Statehood, with the present boundaries. Its area 56,025 square miles, and in 1901 its estimated population was 2,267,000.

is

Iowa is primarily an agricultural State,

its manufacturing industries having increased but slowly in the past five years, and not having become consolidated in manufacturing centres. The interests are diversified and evenly distributed over the State. Formerly the manufacture of lum industry, but this has declined in and exhaustion of the timber lands.

Wholesale slaughtering and tant industry in the State, its of the value of the total products. cheese and condensed milk ranks and grist milling holds the third imber industry is the manufacture struction and repair shops, and the nents.

An industry peculiar to Iowa is from the shells of fresh water mus other rivers. While this industry tion is paid to the breeding of that the supply will soon be ex

No

At the session of the Legislature vide for the comfort and safety of tories. It requires that all ma plied with belt shifters or other purpose of throwing belts off on and that all geared machinery. tion shall be properly guarded. and no female under eighteen years machinery while in motion, and shall not be permitted to operate machinery of any kind. All facto belts or tumbling barrels for polish blowers and pipes of sufficient ca dust. It is made the duty of the this statute.

Gov. Albert B. Cummins.

ber and timber was the principal recent years, owing to the misuse meat packing is the most imporproducts amounting to 15,6 per cent Factory manufacture of butter, second in importance, while flour place. Allied to the lumber and of planing mill products, car conmanufacture of agricultural imple

the manufacture of pearl buttons sels found along the Mississippi and is successful financially, no attenyoung mussels, and it is feared hausted.

in 1902 an act was passed to prolaborers and other persons in facchinery in factories shall be supsafe mechanical devices for the pulleys, wherever this is possible, saws and machines of every descripperson under sixteen years of age. of age shall be permitted to clean children under sixteen years of age or assist in operating dangerous ries using emery wheels, emery ing castings shall be provided with pacity to protect the laborers from State to enforce the provisions of

The State Democratic Convention met September 3, 1902, and rejected the Kansas City platform after much debate, the vote standing 344 in favor of its adoption and 384 for rejection. The platform they adopted declares in favor of tariff reduction and condemns the Philippine war. The Republicans at their convention in August heartily indorsed the Administration of President Roosevelt and called for a revision of the tariff schedule in all cases where it affords a shelter for a monopoly.

The State Democratic convention was held at Des Moines, September 3. The principal issue before the convention was the wording of the plank with regard to the indirsement of the Kansas City platform of 1900. Ex-Governor Boies led against the adoption of the silver plank of this platform. At district caucuses held in the morning, it was decided by a vote of 7 to 4 that there should be no reaffirmation of the Kansas City platform, though a minority report was sent in. In the convention proper reaffirmation of the platform was refused by a vote of 384 to 344. The platform finally adopted declared in favor of tariff reduction and condemned the conditions in the Philippines.

The Republicans met in convention in August. The platform adopted contained a lengthy discussion of the tariff and asked for a revision of the schedule as it stands. It suggested that the people of Iowa wanted a revision of those schedules that were adopted to protect industries which no longer need protection, and that they were particularly anxious to see modification of the duties that affect the trusts.

Trrigation
in the

United States.

It is particularly appropriate that the centenary of the Louisiana Purchase should be commemorated by the inauguration of the great work of irrigation that is so soon to be undertaken under the new National Irrigation Law, for now that the Federal Government has decided to construct and maintain the necessary artificial waterways it will be possible to cultivate at least 60,000,000 more acres of land within the Louisiana tract, a condition which will add materially to the profit which the United States will derive from its great real estate transaction of 1803.

For a number of years, as the Western States and Territories have become settled and the cultivatable land has been taken up, the subject of irrigation has assumed a more important aspect. Gradually all the good lands have been exhausted by settlement, leaving only the arid and undesirable lands open to the public, until, in some parts of the country, the limit of population has almost been attained. As the natural result the eye of the western resident and land-owner has turned toward the great American desert and the possibility of making this uninhabitable tract available for habitation is a problem that has taxed both the ingenuity of the practical agriculturalist and the knowledge of the scientist. Again and again individuals and private corporations have attempted to grapple with the problem, but, while their efforts have not met with the most satisfactory results, so much has been accomplished, so many thousands of acres of desert land have been made to yield fruits of the soil in spite of climatic and other adverse conditions, that the practicability of a great and systematic plan of irrigation has been more than amply demonstrated.

In President Roosevelt's first message to Congress he urged the necessity of the passage of a law which would enable the Government to approach the problem of irrigation in a practical manner, and, acting upon his suggestion, and upon the actual experience of several members of the House and the Senate, both branches of Congress, during its last session, approved the law which now promises relief from this great obstacle which has so long stood in the way of Western progress. The arid lands, which require irrigation and which are to receive attention under the provisions of the

new law. are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, and aggregate 550.000,000 acres. It is said, however, that of this immense tract only 60,000,000 acres can now be irrigated, as there is no known water supply that will reach the other arid sections. In other words, there are about 490,000,000 acres of arid lands in the Western States and Territories that cannot be made fruitful, but will always remain arid unless subterranean sources of water supply exist and are discovered. This, of course, is not impossible, as such water supplies have been discovered in several sections of the desert.

The Geological Survey has now devoted fully a dozen years to the systematic investigation of the irrigation problem, and the reports published by the department show that the expenditure of a small sum of money for artificial irrigation greatly increases the value of lands, and the private control of irrigation reservoirs has already proven a very profitable form of investment. In Colorado and Utah the reservoir systems are under co-operative control of the farmers, who make use of them. In this way those who derive the benefit of the irrigation works are able to keep the expense of their maintenance at a minimum point.

In nearly all the sections where irrigation is required there are State and Territorial officers who have all irrigation matters under their control. Colorado is divided into six irrigation divisions, each of which is in charge of a superintendent; Wyoming has four such divisions, and Nebraska has two. California formerly delegated irrigation matters to the State Engineer, but he has ceased to have jurisdiction over them and they are now under private control.

The first source of water supplies for all irrigation projects is naturally the rivers and streams which flow through the arid sections, but as these are few in number and cannot be depended upon, being liable to dry up completely in periods of drought, the Government proposes to drive many artesian wells in the desert in order that they may test the underground water supply. In many districts which appear to forbid irrigation it is possible that water may be found beneath the surface in such volume as to convert the surrounding desert into a fertile territory, and it is estimated that Government land now practically valueless may be so improved by irrigation as to be worth at least $20 per acre. In Louisiana and Texas rice lands which were formerly dependent upon natural irrigation have been increased in value by artificial irrigation from $10 to $50 and even $100 per acre, while the cost of constructing a small irrigation system is scarcely more than $200.

It has been declared that the area of wheat lands in this country is now all under cultivation and that as there can be no further expansion the wheat supply must inevitably become too small for the country's needs; but it is believed that by having recourse to irrigation the time when there will not be enough wheat to supply the population will be postponed for many years. The experience of farmers in the arid or semi-arid regions shows that wheat will flourish in such sections if properly cultivated. There are a number of Russians in the arid sections of the West who seem to have solved the problem how to grow wheat with little water, and the varieties of that cereal which they have developed are said to be extremely hardy and of excellent quality, and with an extension of wheat acreage by irrigation there need be no cause for alarm as to the future of the world's wheat supply.

The transcontinental railroads have also done much to aid favorable irrigation action by Congress, for they are vitally interested in the development of these arid plains where they hold many millions of acres of land by virtue of the grants made to them by the Government when they constructed their lines across the continent. These tracts are now uninhabitable and consequently cannot be disposed of nor opened to settlement. Irrigation will change this condition, for it is estimated that in the section where no creature save the prairie dog now lives a population of nearly 50,000,000 may in time be supported. In other words, a population nearly two-thirds as great as the present population of the United States may find homes in the Great American Desert when it has been opened up to cultivation by irrigation, a prospect that suggests that, before the close of the present century, there may be cities among the Rocky Mountains greater than Chicago. Not only will the production of cereals be greatly increased by irrigation but cattle and sheep raisers will be equally benefited by it. The land available for ranges is limited by lack of natural water supplies and consequently there will be a desire on the part of stockmen to avail themselves of the new facilities for obtaining water for their stock by artificial means. It will also increase the supply of forage for cattle. In fact, every interest of the great western plains will be directly benefited by the new Government irrigation plan. The fear has been expressed that irrigation on such a scale as is contemplated by Congress will in some

way interfere with Eastern interests by making the West a greater competitor of the East in farm products. but it has been shown in refutation of that theory that while the irrigation plans appear revolutionary they are really not to be dreaded. In the first place it will require many years to put the projected plans in operation, for they are of such a character as will necessitate the most careful consideration before action is taken. Engineering works of such magnitude cannot be constructed in a day or a year, but will need many years for completion. Thus they will not be forced beyond the needs of the people whom they are to serve. and they are not now needed except in sections of the country that are already settled. As the population increases by immigration and otherwise the irrigation system will be extended, but as that will be a matter of gradual development, no alarm need be felt in any section of the country.

One of the most important features of the Federal irrigation plan is the effort to safeguard the interests of those who now own water rights on the streams and water ways which are to pass under the Government control. This is a matter that will engage the attention of the authorities at every step. for the subject is such a complicated one that titles to lands in the irrigated districts are in many cases likely to be affected by the action of the Federal officials. To prevent unnecessary hardship on that account will be one of the chief concerns of those who have the irrigation project under control.

The law which President Roosevelt approved June 17, 1902, provides that all moneys received from the sale of public lands in the States and Territories to be benefited by the law, except such as are reserved by previous laws for educational and other public purposes, shall be set aside as a reclamation fund to be used in the examination and survey of arid lands and for the construction and maintenance of irrigation works, and if there be not sufficient noneys realized from such a source, then the deficit shall be paid from the United States Treasury. All lands required for irrigation are to be withdrawn from public entry until they have been irrigated, when they are to be opened for settlement again. No right to the use of water for land in private ownership shall be sold for a tract exceeding 160 acres to any one landowner, and no such sale shall be made to any landowner unless he be an actual bona tide resident or occupant thereof, residing

In the neighborhood of said land, and no such right shall permanently attach until all payments therefor are made. Moreover, the owners of such lands are to maintain the irrigation works so constructed by the Government at their own expense subject to such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior, while the Government is to retain title to irrigation reservoirs and works until the Congress provides otherwise. At the same time there shall be no interference by the Government with the laws of any State or Territory relating to the control, appropriation, use or distribution of water used in irrigation, or

any vested right acquired thereunder, and the law expressly stipulates that the Secretary of the Interior, in carrying out the provisions of the act, shall proceed in conformity with such State and Territorial laws. Throughout the West there is a considerable increase in the amount of land irrigated each year. It is found that nearly all kinds of crops, notably grains, can be grown in land hitherto considered worthless. If the proposed system of national irrigation is ever put into operation it will make valuable many thousands of acres of land which is now useless, and add largely to the material wealth of the people. The results of irrigation work reported by the United States Census Bureau for 1900 were as follows: IRRIGATION IN THE UNITED STATES. FROM FACTS OBTAINED FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU. Average Cost of Water Per Acre.

(1) Arld States.

(2) Semi-arid States.

(3) Humid States. (4) Rice producing States.

Italy.

The origin of the present reigning house is not historically established, but the most reliable genealogists trace it back to the German Count Berthold, who settled on the western slope of the Alps in the eleventh century. By the end of the century the family had acquired the counties of Turin and Susa, and when, in 1381, Count Amadeus founded a law of primogeniture the family's position was so strong that it was soon able to secure the territory of Nice. The title of Duke was adopted by the Count of Savoy in 1416; in 1713 they obtained the island of Sicily, with the title of King, and although they were subsequently compelled to exchange the island of Sicily for that of Sardinia, they retained the royal dignity and added considerable territory to the Sardinian crown. In 1831 the direct male line died out with King Carlo Felice, and the throne therefore reverted to Prince Carlo Alberto of Savoy-Carignano, a branch founded in 1596. In 1849 King Carlo Alberto abdicated in favor of his son, Prince Vittorio Emanuele, and at the assembly of the first Italian Parliament, February, 1861, Victor Emmanuel II., was declared King of Italy, and by 1870 his domain included all the former Italian States.

Capital:
ROME.

The present ruler, Victor Etamaruel III. is the son of King Humbert I., who was assassinated July 29, 1900. King Victor Emmanuel was born November 11. 1869, and was married October 24, 1896, to Princess Helena (born January 8, 1873), daughter of Prince Nicholas of Montenegro. They have two children, both daughters, Princess Yolande, born June 1, 1901, and Princess Mafalda, born November 19, 1902.

THE HEIR APPARENT.-As the provisions of the Salic law prohibits the accession of females the heir apparent to the throne is Prince Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta. He was born January 13. 1869, and was married to Princess Helene of Orleans, daughter of the late Comte de Paris, June 25, 1895. They have had two children. Prince Amedeo, born October 21, 1898, and Prince Armone, born March 8, 1900. THE MINISTRY.-President of the Council, without portfolio, Signor Zanaidelli; Minister of the Interior, Signor Giolitti; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Signor Prinetti; Broglio; Minister of Finance, Signor and Ecclesiastical Affairs, Signor eral G. Ottolenghi; Minister of Ma rico Morin; Minister of Commerce, Guido Baccelli: Minister of Public of Public Works. Signor Balenzano; Signor Galimberti.

The State strictly regulates pub public schools must be under its branches is supposedly compulsory There are twenty-one State and free

Courts of first instance in Italy and the Courts of Assize. Appeal appeal and the courts of appeal. There is no State provision for

The estimated revenue for 1902 the same period being $358,191,956. $2,583,983,780 in 1901.

King of Italy.

Minister of the Treasury, Signor di
Poalo Carcano; Minister of Justice
Cocco-Ortu; Minister of War, Gen-
rine, Vice-Admiral Constantino En-
Industry and Agriculture, Signor
Instruction, Signor Nasi; Minister
Minister of Posts and Telegraphs,

ter of 1848 Italy is a constitutional
power resting in the King, and the
the Parliament. This latter is of
of princes of the blood and an un-
pointed for life by the King. The
Deputy elected for each 64,000 of
ing 508.

Church is the State church. Its however, and religious freedom and nearly all the population is of the being Jews and Protestants. The the civil lists of the State.

lic instruction. All private and authorization. Education in primary between the ages of six and nine. universities.

are the Pretori, the penal tribunals courts are the penal tribunals of Over all is the Court of Cassation. caring for the poor.

is $362,384,902, the expenditure for The national debt amounted to

Italy's frontier is being protected by a series of fortifications being built. Rome is surrounded by a wall with forts. Some of Italy's chief products for export are silk cocoons and silk, wines, fruit, olives and olive oils, dates and sardines. In 1901 her imports amounted to about $331,497,902 and her exports to $265,283,305.

To this

Italy possesses 670 miles on the coast of the Red Sea, from Cape Dumeirah to Cape Kasar. has been added Hamasen and the district north of it running to the coast and the province of Tigre. She also forms a protectorate over a large part of the Somali coast, inland about 180 miles. These colonies are all unimportant. Italian rule in them is by a civil Governor, nominated by the King and under the direction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Italy's diplomatic relations were broken with Switzerland for a short time in the Spring of last year over a supposed insult to the memory of the late King. No serious consequences followed. Important, however, was the maintenance of her standing under the old status of the expired Triple Alliance.

HALL