Oklahoma

The legislative authority is vested in a senate of 44 members and a house of representatives (120 members in 1936), limited to 120 members. Half of the senators and all the representa tives are elected every two years, senators by districts and representatives by counties. Sessions are held biennially in odd numbered years and begin the first Tuesday after the first Mon day in January. Oklahoma has put into its Constitution many things which in the older States were left to legislation.

For the administration of justice there have been established a supreme court, composed of nine justices elected for a term of six years ; a supreme court commission of nine members ap pointed by the governor and confirmed by seven members of the supreme court; a criminal court of appeals composed of three justices elected one each two years, for a term of six years; 3r district courts, each with one or more justices elected for a term of four years ; superior courts in certain of the more populous counties, with a judge elected for a term of four years; a county court in each county, with one judge elected for a term of two years; justice of the peace courts held by justices elected for a term of two years ; and municipal courts in the cities. The su preme court has appellate jurisdiction in all civil cases, but its original jurisdiction is restricted to a general control of the lower courts. The supreme court commission was created by the legis lature in 1927 to assist the supreme court in the adjudication of civil cases appealed from trial courts. The criminal court of appeals has jurisdiction in all criminal cases appealed from the district and county courts. The district courts have exclusive jurisdiction in civil actions for sums exceeding $1,000, concurrent jurisdiction with the county courts in civil actions for sums greater than $50o, and original or appellate in criminal cases. The superior courts were created to relieve the district courts and have a similar jurisdiction. The county courts have, besides the concurrent jurisdiction above stated, original jurisdiction in all probate matters, original jurisdiction in civil actions for sums greater than $200 and not exceeding $500, concurrent jurisdiction with the justices of the peace in misdemeanour cases, and appel late jurisdiction in all cases brought from a justice of the peace or a police court.

Local Governmen.

The general management of county af fairs is entrusted to three commissioners elected by districts. The other county officers are a sheriff, attorney, judge, clerk, court clerk, treasurer, assessor, surveyor, superintendent of pub lic instruction and public weigher. They are chosen for a term of two years at the general elections in November. Since 1919, only 21 counties have township government. The municipalities of Oklahoma may be classified as incorporated towns and as cities (over 2,000 inhabitants).

Finances.

The revenues for State and for local purposes are derived almost wholly from separate sources. The greater part of the State's revenue is derived from a gross production tax on minerals, motor vehicle licences, a gasolene tax, insurance fees, an inheritance tax, an income tax, the sales tax and departmental collections. Revenue for local purposes is obtained chiefly from tax levies on personal and real property. The valuation and assess ment of personal and real property and of public service corpora tions for 1936 was $1,221,659,918. This, however, did not include mineral property which is taxed on gross production only. There were no State levies on property in 1936, tax levies being made only by the counties, townships, or cities and towns, and school districts. The total revenue receipts for the year ending June 3o, 1936, were of which $19,948,892 were returned to local governments, and $25,302,586 retained for State purposes. The chief State expenditures were for highways, education, debt amortization and service, and penal institutions. The total bonded indebtedness of the State on that date was $11,884,531.

A feature of the banking system is a fund for the guaranty of deposits in banks operating under State charters. The bank guar antee law was held to be valid by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1908 after the U.S. attorney-general had decided that it was illegal. There were 406 banking institutions operating within the State on June 3o, 1935. Their combined resources were $399,100,000; and their total deposits were $346,800,000. Of the total number of banks, 214 were national and 192 State banks.