The executive and administrative department in 1936 consisted of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of State, attorney general, treasurer, auditor and superintendent of public instruc tion, all elected for four years, and 54 State boards, commissions, departments and bureaux.
The general assembly is composed of a senate of 34 members and a house of representatives of 150 members. Senators are elected every two years for a four-year term ; representatives are elected for a term of two years. Regular sessions of the general assembly meet at Jefferson City, the capital, in odd-numbered years.
The supreme court, in certain cases holding sessions in two divisions, is composed of seven justices elected for a term of io years. There are three courts of appeals known as the St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield courts of appeals. Each court con sists of three judges elected for a term of 12 years, one being elected every four years. The State is divided into 38 circuit court districts. The bureau of labor statistics maintains free em ployment bureaux in St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph.
Population.—The first census taken (181o) of that part of the upper Louisiana Territory which later became Missouri, showed a population of 19,783. The population at other selected censuses was as follows : 66,586 in 1820; 383,702 in 1840; 1,182 012 in 1860; 2,168,380 in 188o; 2,679,185 in 1890; 3,106,665 in 1900; 3,293,335 in 1910; 3,404,055 in 1920 and 3,629,367 in 1930 (April 1st) a gain of 225,312 or 6.6%. The percentage of urban population (in centres of 2,500 or more) increased from 46.6% in 1920 to 51.2% in 1930. Of the total urban population 70.1% in 1930 was in the three cities of St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph. The rural population showed an absolute decrease in both 1920 and 1930. The population of the chief cities was: The density of population in 1930 was 52.8 per sq.m., as com pared with 49.5 in 1920. Of the entire population in 1930 only 6.2% were negroes; this was the same relative position they held in 1900. The foreign-born population was relatively small 149,390 or 4.4% of the white population in 1930. The chief foreign groups were Germans (42,276), Russians (15,689), Italian (15,204), British (12,219), Irish (8,561). Early settlers were mainly from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and the old slave States. After the Civil War, Northerners began to enter the State in large numbers.
Attempts to secure relief for special purposes such as schools and good roads by constitutional amendments had all failed. The general assembly in 1917 passed new indirect taxes, a State income tax, a corporation franchise tax, a direct inheritance tax, a "soft" drink stamp tax and the wholesale liquor-dealers' licences. Again in the years of economic depression following 1929 new sources of revenue had to be found as some of the older ones had dried up and outlays for unemployment relief became necessary. To this end the State passed new liquor taxes, income taxes, and a retail sales tax. The assessed valuation of property in Missouri fell from $4,968,850,691 in 1930 to $3,821,563,766 in 1935. The tax rate was 1.5 mills in 1935. The chief sources of revenue in 1935 were the sales tax ($9,936,113), gasolene tax ($9,310,681), motor licences ($6,434,239), and income tax Education.—The idea of providing a university and free local schools as parts of a public school system occurs in the Constitu tion of 1820 (and in the acts of Congress that prepared the way for Statehood) ; but the real beginning of the system dates from the acts of 1835 and 1839. Not much progress was made, how ever, until a law was passed in 1853 providing for the formation of small school districts and another law requiring a fourth of the general yearly revenue of the State to be distributed among the counties for schools. This provision was made regularly after 1855 (save in 1861-67), and since 1875 has rested on a consti tutional provision. In the years after 1887 one-third of the total revenue was appropriated for the support of public schools. Of the total revenue for the support of the public schools about 90% is derived from local taxation. The estimated total expendi ture for public schools from State and local sources fell from 907,000 in 1930 to $40,895,000 in 1934; the per caput expenditure in 1934, based on population aged 5-17 years inclusive, was $56.83, or $10.58 per caput of the total population. The total receipts in 1932 were $68,127,270. Of this sum $13,294,430 came from the building fund; $6,597,378 came from the incidental fund, $33, 514,266 came from the teacher's fund; and cash on hand amounted to $14,721,197. The public school enrolment in the year 1934 was 559,496, with 160,092 in high schools. In 1934 there were 77,112 pupils enrolled in the private and parochial schools within the State. Negroes and whites are segregated in all schools.