New Mexico

Government.

With slight amendments the Constitution adopted in 1911 remains the basis of the State Government. Amendments may be proposed by a majority of the members in each house and must then be voted upon by the people at the next general election or a special election called not less than six months after adjournment of the legislature.

The State legislature is composed of a senate and house of representatives having 24 and 3o members respectively in 1936. Regular sessions are held in odd-numbered years, beginning the second Tuesday in January, and are restricted in length to 6o days. Special sessions not to last over 3o days may be called by the governor but must confine their business to specific matters mentioned in the governor's proclamation. Representatives are elected for two years and senators for four years, the latter, con trary to the practice in most States, being all elected at one time. The governor possesses a veto power which can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the legislative members present and voting in each house. The people of New Mexico possess the referendum privilege but not the power of initiative. In the National Congress the State is represented by two senators and one representative.

The Constitution provides for 11 elective administrative officers, namely, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of State, audi tor, treasurer, attorney general, commissioner of public lands and three corporation commissioners, all serving two years. They may succeed themselves for one term but are not afterwards eligible for re-election until a two year period has elapsed, except the lieutenant governor who may succeed himself indefinitely. The number of elective officers seriously limits the governor's control over his administration.

A supreme court holds one session a year, which lasts as long as the justices think proper, trying cases appealed from the lower courts. There are three supreme court justices elected one at a time for terms of eight years each. There are nine district courts holding two regular sessions each year at the county seat. The district judge is elected for six years. There are probate courts in each county and justices of the peace in each precinct.

Finance.

The value of all tangible property in New Mexico was estimated in 1929 at $963,000,000 or $2,300 per caput. The total taxes levied by State, county, town and school district governments the same year amounted to $11,908,000 or $27.69 per caput. Their per caput rate was lower than any other Western State, the next lowest being $29.56 in Texas. Revenues of the State Government amounted in 1936 to of which but $9,745,736 was derived from taxation. Public lands, motor licences, a gasolene tax of five cents a gallon, and Federal road aid supplied most of the remainder. Expenditures amounted to $20, 371,563 of which $4,240,000 was for current and maintenance ex penses and $4,577,000 for permanent improvements. The State bonded indebtedness on June 3o, 1936 was $11,406,780, an in crease of over $7,000,000 from that of 1926.

In the year there were 41 banks in the State (22 of them national banks) with resources and liabilities totalling $44,800,000.

Education.

Previous to 1891 when the general public school system of New Mexico was established, education was carried on mainly by private and religious agencies which established mission schools and academies. These are still numerous. There were in 1933-34 5o private and parochial schools of elementary stand ing with 8,111 pupils enrolled. Progress in the public school system was slow from 1891 until 1911 when Statehood was granted, but has been rapid since as is shown by the increase in expenditures for public schools from $793,000 in 1910 to $5,653, 000 in 1934.

The governing authority of the public school system is the State board of education consisting of the governor, the superin tendent of public instruction, who is elected for two years, and five members, who are appointed by the governor. The school population of the State in the year numbered 131,500 of which 92,449 was enrolled in public schools. The average daily attendance was 87,895. There were 13,082 pupils enrolled in the public, and 1,402 in the private high schools of the State. There were 3,172 in the teaching staffs receiving a total annual salary of $3,578,000, or $994 each.