Virginia

The governor, lieutenant-governor and attorney-general are elected for a term of four years. The governor appoints the secretary of the commonwealth, treasurer, superintendent of public buildings, commissioner of agriculture, controller and numerous officers with the concurrence of the general assembly. He has the power of vetoing legislative bills or any item of an appropriation bill (a bill can be passed over his veto by a two-thirds vote of the members present in each house), and has authority to inspect the records of officers or to employ accountants to do so, and to suspend, during a recess of the general assembly, any executive officer at the seat of government except the lieutenant governor.

A consolidation and reorganization of administrative bodies was effected by a legislative act in 1927 which created 12 admin istrative departments, namely, the departments of taxation, fi nance, highways, education, corporations, labour and industry, agriculture and immigration, conservation and development, health, public welfare, law, and workmen's compensation.

The administration of justice is vested in a supreme court of appeals, circuit courts, city courts and justices of the peace. The suprenie court of appeals consists of seven judges, but any three of them may hold a court or they may sit in two divisions of not less than three judges each except in cases involving con stitutional questions, when the full court is required. They are chosen for a term of 12 years by the joint vote of the two houses of the general assembly. The court sits at Richmond, Staunton and Wytheville. Provision is made for a special court of appeals where the majority of the judges of the supreme court may not properly sit or where the docket of that court is too crowded to be disposed of "with convenient dispatch." The State is divided into 34 judicial circuits and in each of these a circuit judge is chosen for the term of eight years by a joint vote of both houses of the general assembly. Similar to the circuit court is the cor poration court in each city having a population of more than 10,000, the judge of which is also chosen by a joint vote of both houses for a term of eight years.

Finance.

The value of all tangible property in the State had increased from $1,288,000,000 ($666 per caput) in 1904 to $2, 402,000,000 ($1,140 per caput) in 1912 and $4,892,000,000 ($2,050 per caput) in 1922 as estimated by the Federal Census Bureau. The valuation of prop

erty assessed for taxation pur poses in 1936 amounted to $2, 064,049,259, of which $1,141, 358,157 was real estate. In 1936 real estate and tangible personal property were locally taxed, the taxation rates per $100 assessed valuation were 75 cents on in tangible property, except capital, which was $1.00, bonds of coun ties, cities and towns which were 5o cents and shares of bank stock which were 20 cents.

Receipts and disbursements of the State treasury during the fiscal year ending June 3o, 1936, amounted to $62,960,508 and $60,705,930 respectively. The chief items of expenditure were for the construction and maintenance of roads, $22,134,718; for the support of free public schools, $15,239,420; for the depart ment of alcoholic liquors, $9,953,105; for current obligations, $4,781,618; for the department of public welfare, $2,799,004; for the department of health, $1,025,482 ; for the department of fi nance, $791,686; and $635,634 for conservation. The total out standing State debt amounted in 1936 to $22,399,338, or $10.19 per caput. Of this aggregate debt $21,986,296 was funded.

Education.

The Virginia free school system, established in 1870, is controlled by the State board of education, composed of seven members appointed by the governor. The chief executive of the system is the superintendent of public instruction also appointed by the governor. The Constitution provides that white and coloured children shall be taught in different schools. Attendance is compulsory for children from 8 to 14 years of age, except for pupils of high school grade. The school census of 1934 recorded 722,200 children in the State from 5 to 17 years of age, of whom 206,484 were coloured. Of the total 585,657 were enrolled in public schools during the 1933-34 session. In addition there were approximately 12,400 in private and parochial schools of which Virginia has a large number. The average length of school term was 155 days. There were 93,172 pupils enrolled in the public secondary schools of the State, and 4,704 registered in the private high schools. The average daily attendance in the public school system in 1934 was $486,845 and the average num ber of days attended per year per pupil enrolled was 141.7.