Oregon

The executive power in Oregon is vested in a governor elected for a four-year term. There is no lieutenant governor. The prin cipal administrative officials of the State, all elected, are the sec retary of State, treasurer, attorney general, superintendent of pub lic instruction, dairy and food commissioner, and labour commis sioner. A greater number of other administrative officers are appointed by the governor, among them the adjutant general, the State forester, State game warden, State health officer, State librarian, three State highway commissioners and three public service commissioners. A large number of State boards and com missions whose members are appointed are also necessary for the administration of Government, among them the board of control, land board, tax commission, board of education, public service commission, industrial accident commission, water board, parole board, board of health, industrial welfare commission and. the Oregon State library.

The administration of justice is entrusted to a supreme court, circuit courts, county courts and justices of the peace. There are also municipal courts in the cities and several special courts in Multnomah county. There are seven supreme court justices elected for a term of six years. The sessions of the court are held both at Salem and Pendleton. Circuit courts are held in 17 judi cial districts, many districts having several justices. The Consti tution of Oregon provides that in civil cases three-fourths of a jury may render a verdict. The county court is an administrative, not judicial body, consisting of the county judge and two corn missioners. The county judge, however, handles probate and juvenile court matters, in addition to his administrative duties.

Population.-The

increase in population in Oregon has been as follows: 90,923 (188o); 413,536 672,765 783,389 953,786 (1930). Between 1900 and 1910 the increase was 62.7%, but between 1910 and 1920 it was only 16.4%. Between 1920 and 1930 it increased 21.8%. The density increased from 4.3 per sq.m. in 1900 to 8.2 per sq.m. in 1920, and to 0.0 in 1930. In 1930 there were 105,475 persons (11.3%) born in foreign lands. Of the foreign born 22,033 were from Scandinavian countries (Swedes predomi nating), 16,330 from the United Kingdom and Ireland, 17,916 from Canada, 12,913 from Germany, 6,278 from Russia, 5,507 from Finland, 4,728 from Italy and 4,034 from Switzerland. Other countries were represented by less than 2,000 each. There were in addition to the whites, 2,234 negroes, 4,776 Indians, Chinese and 4,958 Japanese in the State in 1930.

Urban and rural populations were very closely balanced in 1930, being 489,746 and 464,040 respectively. In 1910 urban population had represented 45.6% of the entire population. With

the exception of the State of Connecticut, Oregon had in 1934 the lowest birth rate of any State in the registration area-13.1 births per i,000. Except for 1933 the infant mortality rate from 1930 to 1934 inclusive was lower than that for any other State in the Union. Only 0.3% of the na tive whites were illiterate as com pared with 3.6% of the foreign born.

Portland, the leading city, had in 1930 a population of 301,815, an increase of 16.9% for the decade. Salem, the capital and second city in the state, had 26, 266 inhabitants. The other cities of over s,000 population in 1930 were Eugene, Klamath Falls, Medford, Astoria, Bend, La Grande, Baker, Corvallis, Pendleton, The Dalles, Oregon City, Albany and Marshfield.

Finance.-The

value of all tangible property in Oregon was estimated in 1922 at $3,419,000,000 and in 1929 at $3,844,000,000. The assessed valuation of taxable property was 5,160,592 in 1930 and $924,071,621 in 1935. Receipts of the State treasury for the fiscal year 1935 were $60,039,852 and expenditures were $56,268,038. Of this the general fund received $25,662,818 and disbursed $23,654,047. There were a great number of special funds also, most important among them being the highway fund which disbursed $15,652,910 during the year 1935, the World War veterans' aid fund disbursing $2,883,806. The cash on hand on September 3o, 1935, the end of the fiscal year, amounted to $761,196. The State general fund revenue is derived largely from a direct property tax, also from fees, licences, and special taxes. The direct property tax for the State general fund amounted to $2,667,997 in and $2,613,941 in 1936.

Oregon was the first Stdte to levy a tax on gasolene as a means of financing highway construction and maintenance. Fees of the motor vehicle department amounted to $6,341,285 and were also used for highway purposes. The total revenue of the State in 1931 secured by direct and indirect taxation amounted to $30.85 per capita. Expenditures for current expenses amounted to $30.65 per capita the rest was for permanent improvements.

The total indebtedness of the State in 1936 was $49,108,110 of which $23,629,250 was for highway bonds; $24,875,000 for State veterans' aid, to offset which the State held first mortgages on real property within the State and other assets amounting to $26,121,914.15; $2,172,76o for interest paid on irrigation district bonds on which the State was obligated to act as a guarantor, and $140,000 for farm credits. Provisions were made for the retire ment of all these bonds as they came due. County indebtedness in 1934 amounted to $27,499,741, school districts indebtedness to $21,336,372 and city and town indebtedness to $83,765,059.