Montana

Population.

In 1920 Montana's population was 548,889; in 191o, 376,053; and in 190o, 243,329. Between 1900 and 1910 the increase was 54.5% ; between 1910 and 1920, 46%. An aver age of estimates by four different methods made by the State bureau of vital statistics gives 520,148 for 1925, a decrease of nearly 30,00o since 1920. There were 42,626 fewer people on farms, and 10,781 fewer farms than in 1920. By 1930 conditions had improved but the population was 537,606, a loss of 11,283.

In 1920 there were 299,941 males and 248,948 females; in 1930, 293,228 males and 244,378 females. Of the total population 96.2% are white, 2.8% Indian and the rest negro and oriental. The Indian population in 1930 was 14,798, an increase of 3,842 over 1920. The Indians belonged to the Blackfeet, Crow, Salish (Flathead), Sioux, Assiniboine, Gros Ventres and Northern Cheyenne tribes. The reservations on which they formerly lived have been broken up and the land allotted to individual members of the tribes.

In 1930, 72,961 were foreign born, born of foreign par ents, and 66,247 of mixed foreign-born and native parentage. The largest groups of foreign born were 14,646 from Scandinavian countries, 9,321 from the United Kingdom, 6,115 from Germany and 4,212 from Russia. The urban population in 1930 was 181,036 or 33.7%; the rural 356,57o or 66.3%. There were six cities in 1930 with a population of I0,000 or more; Butte, 39,532; Great Falls, 28,822 ; Billings, 16,380; Missoula, 14,657 ; Anaconda, 12,494 ; Helena, 11,803. Great Falls the fastest growing (72.9% increase 1910-20), is also the youngest ; it was founded in 1883.

Finance.

The State legisla- ture biennially fixes the rate of taxes for State purposes. In 1920 5°A° the people by a referendum vote fixed the annual tax at 31 mills for a ten-year period. Of this, • I 200.000 S II mills is for the support of the four units of the State univer- c,ock° sity, and the remaining 2 mills for the general State fund. In Fs' § g 1921 the legislature passed a small tax on oil and coal pro- GRAPH OF GROWTH OF POPULATION duction, and in addition a tax IN MONTANA, AND FOREIGN PER of one cent a gallon on gasolene, CENTAGE which was raised to 2 cents a gallon in 1923 and to 3 cents in 1927. In 1923 an effective inheritance tax was passed. One of the chief issues of Montana's politics has been the taxation of mines and their output. The mines, in proportion to their re

sources, paid a not excessive share of the taxes, and the agricul tural and live stock interests contributed heavily. In 1924 the people were able to pass an initiative measure providing for a graduated tax of from 0.25% to 1% of the gross product of metal mines. Half of this tax and of the inheritance tax goes to the school fund, and half to the general fund. The gasolene tax goes to the State highway commission.

The State had a bonded indebtedness in 1932 of $5,683,156; $583,156, capitol building; $3,600,000, educational; and $1,500, 000, highway anticipation. The assessed valuation of all the tax able property in the State in 1932 was $1,184,771,623, and the tax able valuation $384,553,120. On this valuation $1,688,645 was levied for State purposes, $8,888,757 for county purposes, $10, for school purposes and $2,746,139 for city and town pur poses, making a grand total of In 1935 there were 118 banks in the State, 46 of them national banks. Their total resources or liabilities were $129,200,000; loans and discounts, $27,300,000; investments, $49,800,000 ; capital, surplus and undivided surplus, $116,500,000. Savings deposits were $75,541,000 in 1920, in 1925 and $38,400,000 in 1935.

Education..

In 193 1-1932 there were 2,742 elementary schools with an enrolment of 90, 240 pupils and 163 high schools (19 of them county high schools) with an enrolment of 28,894. School revenue from all sources totalled 38.38% of it coming from district taxes, 19.2% from a general 6 mill county tax, 21.1% from a county high school tax, and 21.32% from school lands and special State taxes. School expenditures for the year were $6,952,521 of which was for instruction, $1,458,014 for plant oper ation and maintenance, and the rest for miscellaneous purposes. Of the public school income $832,622.50 came from the public school lands.

There are six State institutions of higher learning, the Uni versity of Montana at Missoula, the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Bozeman, the School of Mines at Butte, and the State Normal schools at Dillon, Billings, and Havre. All are under the direction of the executive secretary of the State board of education. Intermountain and Carroll colleges are in Helena.