Not only are the transportation facilities by water unsurpassed but the city is the (-nitre of far-reaching railroads. They include the Mich igan Central, five divisions; Pere Marquette, three divisions; Wabash, two divisions; Lake Shore; Detroit, Toledo and Ironton; Detroit and Toledo Shore Line; Grand Trunk, four divisions; and the Canadian Pacific. The Pennsylvania has also acquired terminals here and expects to bring in trains over its own tracks before the close of 1918.
The foreign trade of the district of Michi gan, of which Detroit is the port of entry, goes to a very considerable extent over the two Canadian trunk lines mentioned, reaching tide-water at Montreal. The exports for 1917 totaled $276,190,292. The largest items were foodstuffs for the allied countries in Europe. Other very large items were automobiles, iron and steel manufactures, live animals, chiefly horses and mules for war service, cotton, cop per, lead and zinc. The imports for the dis trict in 1917 aggregated in value $54,569,014.
The assessed valuation of the city for the fiscal year 1917-18 is $1,174,517,700; gross city appropriations $29,084,99885; city tax levy, $16, 217,985; tax rate, $13.81 on the thousand of assessments; net city debt, $20,396,385.
The bank statements for 4 March 1918 showed capital and surplus, $39,000,000; sav ings deposits, $139,407,372; total deposits, $334, 839,632. The bank clearings for 1917 were $2,749,173,375.
Municipal Until very re cently the scheme of government for Detroit comprised a common council of two members from each of the 21 wards; a board of estimates to pass upon all appropriations and bond issues, the board consisting of two members elected from each ward, five elected at large and a number of department heads ex officio; a board of education consisting of one from each ward; various commissions ap pointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council. At present the mayor has absolute power of appointment and removal of commissioners without reference to the coun cil, and this feature is continued in the draft of a new charter which was approved by popular vote 15 June 1918. It becomes operative in some of its provisions at once, and goes into full ef fect in January 1919. The board of education has been reduced to seven members, elected at large. The board of estimates has been dis placed by a commission consisting of the mayor, city clerk, controller and city counselor. Both these changes are retained in the new charter. That instrument also reduces the council to nine members elected at large, a change which has already had the approval by popular vote, but which has not yet gone into effect. The new charter leaves the mayor, city clerk and city treasurer elective, but gives the mayor power of appointment over most of the other administrative officials and commissions. The judges of the police and recorders' courts are elective, and the members of the board of health, being organized under the State law, are appointed by the jimvenior.
Area and Population.-- Since 1910 the city has annexed large areas of territory into which its population and business had already over flowed, thus increasing its area from 40.79 square miles to 80.70. Pop. (1910) 465,766; (1918) estimated 950,000, this estimate being based on the census of families taken annually by the water board.
The following sketch is fur nished by C. M. Burton, official historian of the city: °The white man first visited Detroit, so far as records show, about 1645, and the first map of the region was published in 1650. The first settlement was made 24 July 1701, by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (q.v.), who had been governor of Michillimackinac and wished to establish a permanent post for the centre of French power and commerce in the North west. He built Fort Pontchartrain, now called Detroit, and settled it with 50 soldiers and 50 colonists. During the French and Indian War, on 29 Nov. 1760, Maj. Robert Rogers took the place from the French commandant, Captain Beletre, by order from the Marquis of Vau dreuil; the garrison were sent off as prisoners, but the Canadian inhabitants were allowed to retain their farms upon swearing allegiance to the British Crown. The first act of Pontiac's conspiracy in 1763 was an attempt to seize De troit; Pontiac was foiled, and after a desperate siege from 9 May to 12 October, heroically sustained by Major Gladwin, the post was re lieved. In 1778 there were about 300 inhabit ants, living mostly in log cabins, in a palisaded village. There was a Roman Catholic church in the enclosure but no other public buildings; in that year the British built Fort Lernoult, re named Fort Shelby by the Americans, but it was not until 1796 that the place was occupied the Americans. As part of the Northwest Territory it came under the Ordinance of 1787, and in 1802 was incorporated as a town, but in 1805 was obliterated by a fire which de stroyed every building in the village except one. The town was replatted and laid out with broad streets. It became the capital on the or ganization of Michigan Territory in 1805. In the War of 1812, William Hull surrendered it to the British under Isaac Brock on threat of a general massacre of the inhabitants by Brock's Indians. Hull was court-martialed for this act. The British evacuated it in 1813, and the Americans reoccupied it 29 September. It was incorporated as a village in 1809 and again in 1815 and as a city in 1824. It remained the capital of the Territory till 1837, when Michi gan became a State; then of the new State till 1847. Detroit celebrated its centennial 24 July 1901. Consult Farmer, 'History of Detroit and Michigan' (1889), and 'Detroit> in 'Historic Towns of the Western States' (1901) ; Bur ton, (Cadillac's Village,' 'Early Detroit,' 'The Building of Detroit> (1896); Parkman, 'Con spiracy of Pontiac' (1867) Ross and Catlin, 'Landmarks of Detroit' (1898).