JOP'LIN. A eity and one of the county-seats of Jasper County. No., 140 miles south of Kansas City; on the :Missouri Pacific, the St. Louis and San Francisco. the Kansas City Southern, and the "Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroads (Nap: -Missouri, B 4). It is of considerable commercial importance as the distributing point for a large agricultural distriet, but is known principally for its extensive mining interests, being the trade centre of the vast zinc and lead fields of south western _Missouri. The output of the mining district in 1901 was valued at $7,972,000; for 1902, the estimated value was $9,500,000. The industrial establishments include smelting-works. paint-works, white-lead works, large foundries and machine-shops, and flouring-mills. Among the more notable structures are the court-house, the opera house, several hotels, and the Young _lien's Christian Association building. A Fed eral Government building ($155,000) and a Carnegie library are (1903) in course of construction. The government is administered, under the general statutes of 1SS9, revised in 1599, by a mayor, elected every two years. and a
unicameral council. The board of education constitutes an independent department, consist ing of six members, two elected each year on a separate ticket. Of the other officials, the mar shal (chief of police), city attorney, police judge, treasurer, assessor, and collector are chosen by popular election; the city counselor, clerk, en gineer, and president of the council are elected by the council; and the sewer inspector, police, fire chief, firemen, and street commissioners are ap pointed by the executive, subject to the consent of the council. The light plant is owned by the municipality. The city has an assessed valuation of $4,200.000, while its debt is less than 2 per cent. of this amount. Settled about 1570, ;Joplin was first incorporated in 1573. Since 1590 it has grown rapidly. Population, in 1SSO, 7035; in 1890, 9943; in 1900, 20,023.