Under the revised Constitution of 1908 the former classification of cities into four classes and the prac tice of granting special charters were abolished, and the legisla ture is required to provide by general laws for the incorporation of cities and villages; "such general laws shall limit their rate of taxation for municipal purposes and restrict their powers of bor rowing money and contracting debts." Cities and villages are per mitted—upon authorization by the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the electors voting on the question—to own and operate, even outside their corporate limits, public utilities for supplying water, light, heat, power and transportation, and may sell and deliver, outside their corporate limits, water, heat, power and light to an amount not more than one-fourth that furnished by them in each case within their corporate limits; but no city or village of less than 25,00o inhabitants may own or operate transport facilities. Under the revision of 1908, corporate franchises cannot be granted for a longer term than 3o years.
The first census taken in that portion of the North-west Territory now included in the State of Michigan showed, in 181o, a population of 4,762. The population at other selected decennial censuses was as
in 1830;
113 in 186o;
in 1880; 2,093,890 in 1890; 2,420,982 in 1900; 2,810,173 in 1910; and 3,668,412 in 1920; an increase of 30.5% within the last decade. The population in 1930 was 4,842, 325, an increase of 1,173,913 or 32 per cent. Of the total popula tion in 1930,
were native whites of native parentage; 1,445,865 were native whites of foreign or mixed parentage; 840,268 foreign-born ;
negroes ; and 22,701 Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, and Japanese. The chief national groups among the foreign-born were 203,783 natives of Canada
English; 28,539 French), 119,228 of Poland, 81,714 of Germany, 62,757 of England, 43,087 of Italy, 35,257 of Scotland, 34,348 of Russia, and 32,128 of the Netherlands. The density of population rose from 63.8 to 84.2 per sq.m. in the decade 1920-30. In the same period population in places of 2,500 in habitants or more increased from 6i•I % to 68.2% of the total. There were 38 cities and 2 villages with io,000 inhabitants or more in 1930. The population of the following cities in 1930 was: Detroit, 1,568,662; Grand Rapids, 168,592; Flint, 156,492; Sagi naw, 80,715; Lansing, 78,397 ; Pontiac, 64,928; Hamtramck, 56,268 and Jackson, 55,187.
The present Constitution (as revised in 1908) forbids the contraction of a State debt exceeding $250,000 except for repelling an invasion or suppressing an insurrection, and the borrowing power of the minor civil divisions is restricted by a general law. The Constitution of 185o provided that no general banking law could have effect until it had been submitted to the people and had been approved by a majority of the votes cast on the question. This provision Was included in the revised Constitu
tion adopted in 1908, with an additional provision that no amend ment shall be made to any banking law unless it shall receive an affirmative two-thirds vote of both branches of the legislature. Every stockholder in a bank is made individually liable for the amount of his stock at its par value in addition to the said stock. All banks are subject to the inspection and supervision of the corn missioner of the State banking department.
The assessed value of all property in Michigan in 1935 was $5,659,727,087, but in that year, taxation of property was com pletely abolished. During the fiscal year 1935-36, the chief sources of revenue were a sales tax producing $45,642,248 and a tax on liquor sales producing $25,075,615. Other levies were on railroad companies, corporations, telephone and insurance companies and inheritances. Total revenues amounted to $192,823,041. The prin cipal sources of the State road funds were a motor vehicle tax ($17,452,563) and a tax on gasolene ($23,808,824). The gross debt in 1936 was $75,669,000, of which $47,946,123 was funded.
Michigan was a pioneer State in creating the Anierican educational system ; she began the organiza tion of it at the time of her admission into the Union in 1837, and has since been noted for the high standard of her schools. Each township operating under the district act has two school inspectors —one being elected at each town meeting for a term of two years— who with the township clerk constitute the township board of school inspectors, and to this board is given authority to divide the township into school districts and to exercise a general super vision over the several schools within their jurisdiction ; a town ship may be organized as a single district, called a "township unit district." The qualified electors of each district having an ungraded school elect a moderator, a director and a treasurer—one at each annual school meeting—for a term of three years, who constitute the district school board, entrusted with ample power to direct the affairs of the school. Each county has a county school com missioner elected for a term of four years, who exercises a general supervision over the schools within his jurisdiction. Finally, at the head of all the public elementary and secondary schools of the State is the State superintendent of public instruction, elected for a term of two years ; he is ex officio a member and secretary of the State board of education, and a member, with the right to speak but not to vote, of all other boards having control of public in struction in any State institution.