Minnesota

The supreme court in 1937 consisted of a chief justice and six associate justices, each elected for a term of six years. There were also 19 judicial districts, each with a district court pre sided over by from one to eleven elective judges, the total number of whom in 1937 was 51. Every county has a probate court while for the general administration of local justice there are municipal courts and justices of the peace.

Finance.

The estimated wealth of Minnesota in 1929 was $9, 518,000,000 or $3,731 per capita, which placed the State 13th in total wealth and nth in wealth per capita. The assessed valu ation of all property subject to a general property tax in 1932 was $2,308,000,000, of which $1,68o,000,000, represented real property and $628,000,000 per sonal property. The State's gross debt in the same year was $98, 162,000, of which $94,951,000 was funded. Its gross debt less sinking fund assets was $40,156,000—an increase of $24,333,000 over the preceding year. Expenditures dur ing 1932 totalled $74,993,000, of which $44,636,000 went for gov ernmental operations, maintenance, and interest upon indebted ness and $30,357,000 for capital outlays. Revenue receipts, on the other hand came to only $60,578,000, of which $9,921,000 was raised by a general property tax, $1,594,000 by an inheritance tax, and $29,319,000 by the sale of licenses and permits. In an effort to bridge the gulf between revenues and necessary expenditures the legislature in 1933 imposed two new levies—a tax on incomes and a tax on chain stores.

On June 30, 1935 there were 685 active banks in Minnesota with assets (or liabilities) totalling $951,700,000, capital, sur plus, and reserves amounting to $96,300,000, and deposits of $846,600,000 of which $345,600,000 were savings deposits owed to 764,00o depositors. The number of national banks reporting on Dec. 31, 1935 was 205 with assets (or liabilities) of $726,985,000, capital, surplus, etc., and deposits of $649,641,000. Of all commercial banks 649 were insured and 136 non-insured, the deposits of the former banks amounting to $858,941,000 and those of the latter to $9,486,000.

supervision of the State public school system is placed in the State department of education and control of the department is vested in a non-salaried board of education, consisting of five representative citizens appointed by the governor and approved by the senate. The board's powers are exercised through the State commissioner of education, whom it elects.

As soon as the required standards are met the department metes out State aid in a certain fixed proportion. In addition to this fixed aid there is a supplemental aid designed mainly to help the less affluent school districts. Besides giving direct financial aid to local schools the State has sought further to equalize edu cational opportunities by establishing consolidated schools, of which there were 246 in 1932-33. In that year there were, all told, 714 graded and 7,454 ungraded (rural) elementary schools and 568 secondary schools in the State.

In 1934 the enrolment of the public elementary schools was that of the public secondary schools, 134,404, and that of private and parochial schools, 62,878. There were 20,674 teachers employed in the public schools at an average annual salary of $1,006. The total of State and local expenditures for elementary and secondary education in the year amounted to $39, 306,000 compared with $51,600,000 spent for the purpose in 1930.

Teachers are trained at the College of Education in the Uni versity of Minnesota and at six teachers' colleges, and in high school normal training departments. The teachers' colleges in 1934 had 3,787 students and 321 instructors. There were in addition to those enrolled in teachers' colleges, 22,636 collegiate students in the State in T934 including 1,737 post-graduates and 8,508 professional students. In 1931 there were also 59 nurses' training schools in the State with 3,776 students, and in 1932 14 commercial schools with 1,579 students.

Most important of the institutions of higher learning is the University of Minnesota (q.v.). Privately supported colleges of liberal arts are Carleton and St. Olaf at Northfield, Gustavus Adolphus at St. Peter ; Hamline and Macalester at St. Paul ; and St. John's at Collegeville.

Charities and

State board of control, created in 1901, had, in 1937, general control over 19 State charity and corrective institutions, and supervision over 14 county tuberculosis sanatoria. It inspects jails, poorhouses, infirmaries ; inspects and licenses maternity hospitals and infant's homes; supervises the administration of mother's pensions ; safeguards the interests of illegitimate children; administers the soldiers' welfare fund; appoints county child welfare boards; and acts as a board of parole and discharge for the State Training school for boys and the Home school for girls.