TRANSPORTATION AND ( '011:0 ERCE. A network of railroads covers the northern half of the State, in contrast with the southern half, where the mileage is small and a number of counties have no rail communication, The northern half has the advantage in that it lies in the course of some of the great transcontinental lines, and furthermore is less broken than the southern part of the State. A large number of lines cross tile Mississippi at Saint Louis, while Kansas City and Saint Joseph on the western border are also large railroad centres. In 560 there were S17 mires of railroad in the State; in ISSO, 3905 miles; in 1800, 6142 miles: and in 1900. 0887 miles. Some of the leading lines in Missouri are: The Missouri Pacific, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, the Saint Louis and San Francisco, Saint Louis Southwestern, the Chicago, Burling ton and Quincy, Chicago and Alton, the Wabash, the Saint Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern. In recent years there has been a marked develop ment in the railways connecting the State with the Southwest and the Gulf. The State has a board of railroad Commissioners, who hear and determine complaints against the railroads: but their decision is subject to revision by the courts. The water traffic between Saint the terminal for the larger river steamers, and the Gulf is large. Before the building of rail roads the Missouri River was important as a means of transportation: but in recent years the trans-State traffic. whieh is extensive, is almost wholly by rail. The grain and animal produce of the West reaches its market in great part by way of Missouri.
1:A N Ks. The flank of Saint Louis. chartered in 1813 and opened in 1810, was the first in the State. It went into liquidation in 1819. Next
(-lime the Bank of Missouri, which opened in Saint Louis in 1517 and failed in 1822. This left the State without any chartered banks until Coffee and spices, ronstiiiir and grinding Confectionery 1ST9, when the United States Bank opened a branch in Saint Louis. The branch was diseon timied in 1633. The Bank of the State of _Mis souri, chartered in 1637, was a large institution with live branches in the State, and was tenth a bank of issue and disemint. For twenty years it had almost a monopoly of the banking business, but its circulation was insufficient and in IS:i; seven more hanks of issue were chartered. Many more followed. All were forced to conform to the law which allowed the issue of only three dol lars for every dollar of specie. The law of 1S57 provided also for a bank eommission'er, who should visit and examine the various institutions. This office was soon abolished, and there sprang up a number of small speculative banks, all of which collapsed in the panic of Lti73. The system of national banking extended very slowly. but the largest institutions sooner or later became na 1 innal banks. In IgGS the Saint Louis Clearing House Association was organized with 33 mem bers. Trust companies were first formed in ISA!), and beeame very popular. There always have been ninny banks bearing the word 'savings' in their titles. lint none of them conformed to the gen eral plan of a savings bank. This is explained liy the fact that all the banks usually pay inter est on deposits.
The condition of hanks in the State in 190° is shown in the following table: