The governor, elected for four years, is ineligible for the next succeeding term. He controls a large amount of patronage, ap pointing, subject to the advice and consent of two-thirds of the senate, the heads of all departments except the auditor-general, State treasurer and secretary of internal affairs. He also ap points the members of all independent administrative boards and commissions, the members of all advisory boards, and, with exceptions, the members of all departmental boards and com missions, and fills vacancies in various offices which occur during the recess of the senate. He has a right of veto, extending to items in appropriation bills, which may be overridden by a two thirds vote in each house. His power of pardon is limited, being subject to the recommendation of three members of a board which consists of the lieutenant governor, secretary of the com monwealth, attorney general and secretary of internal affairs.
All the elective officials, except the secretary of internal affairs, are ineligible for a second consecutive term. By a law of 1923 as amended by an act of April 13, 1927 the administrative agencies of the State were consolidated into 17 departments; viz., State, justice, attorney general, treasury, public instruction, in ternal affairs, military affairs, agriculture, forests and waters, labour and industry, health, highways, welfare, banking, insur ance, mines, property and supplies. Six department heads desig nated by the governor meet with him as the executive board which standardizes employment in the various departments and approves the establishment or discontinuance of bureaux or other divisions within the departments.
There were in the two houses of the legislature in 1936 50 senators, elected for four years, and 207 representatives, elected for two years. The powers of the two houses are the same except that the senate exercises the usual right of confirming appoint ments and of sitting as a court of impeachment, while the house of representatives initiates money bills and impeachment cases. The legislature meets in odd numbered years on the first Tuesday of January.
The supreme court consists of seven justices elected for terms of 21 years by the voters of the State at large. Minority repre sentation is secured by the provision that each elector shall vote for one less than the number of justices to be chosen at each election. In 1895 the work of the supreme court had increased
to such an extent that an act was passed by the general assembly creating the superior court of Pennsylvania which consists of a president judge and six judges. The supreme court handles all appealed cases involving over $2,500, or cases of felonious homi cide and is the court of last resort. The superior court handles all other appealed cases. The State is divided into districts in which are courts of common pleas. Justices of the peace are elected in wards, districts, boroughs and townships.
The growth in population of the chief cities for 1910, 1920 and 1930 (U.S. Census) is as follows: Philadelphia, 1,549,008, 1,823,779, 1,950,961; Pittsburgh, 533,905, Scranton, 129,867, Erie, 66,525, 115,967; Reading, 96,071, 107,784, 111,171; Allentown, 51,913, 73,502, 92,563; Wilkes-Barre, 67,105, 73,833, 86,626; Altoona, 52,127, 60,331, 82,054; Harrisburg, 64,186, Johnstown, 67,327, 66,993; Lancaster, 59,949; Chester, 38,537, 58,030, 59,164; Bethlehem, 57,892; York, 55,254; McKeesport, New Castle, 36,28o, Finance.—The wealth of Pennsylvania (estimated value of all tangible property) was placed in 1929 at $32,757,000,000, an increase over 1922 of $3,923,000,000. The average per caput hold ing was $3,425 as compared with $2,977 average for the entire United States. The assessed value in 1932 of property subject to the general property tax was $12,763,000,000 of which $9,437, 000,000 was real estate and $3,326,000,000 personal property. Receipts of the State Treasury for 1932 amounted to $169,841,000 per caput) of which but $30,300,000 was raised by prop erty taxes.