Pennsylvania

The chief sources of revenue upon which the State depends are taxes on corporations, automobile licences and fees, the gasolene tax, inheritance tax and anthracite coal tax. In general it is the policy to leave the general property taxes to the counties and smaller units. Almost one-half of the State income is used for the two items, highways and education. The State debt on Dec. 31, 1931, amounted to $89,978,000, of which $89,221,000 was for highway purposes.

On June 30, 1934, the total number of commercial and savings banks was 14 1, with total resources and liabilities of $5,272, 784,000, capital, surplus, and undivided profits of $843,650,000, and deposits of $3,655,469,000.

Education.

Since 1895 education has been free to all between the ages of 6 and 21 and compulsory for all children between the ages of 8 and 16. In 1932 there were 2,008,039 enrolled in the public schools, of whom 1,610,389 were in elementary and 397,650 in secondary schools; there were also 350,339 pupils in private and parochial schools. The number of high schools in the public school system was 1,169.

In 1935 there were 16 normal schools and teachers' col leges maintained by the State at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millers ville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester. The total enrolment of these was 8,389 students, their combined teaching staffs numbered 674. Pennsylvania's established minimum of preparation required of teachers in the elementary schools is the completion of a four-year high school course and not less than two years of professional preparation or its equivalent. Partial cer tificates and emergency certificates are issued to the extent that fully qualified teachers are not available.

Since 1921 the State has contributed substantially to the sup port of the poorer school districts. The funds appropriated for this purpose in 1934 amounted to $30,633,931. Annual salaries of all teachers, supervisors, and principals in the public school system averaged $1,630 in 1932 as against $920 in 1920.

The establishment of evening classes and classes in English and citizenship for adults has helped to bring down the ratio of illiteracy from 5.9% in 1910 to only 3.1% in 1930, in which year 15.4% of the foreign-born whites, 4.2% of the negroes, and

0.6% of the native whites were unable to read or write.

There are seven institutions of higher learning which receive State subsidies. Chief of these is Pennsylvania State college at the borough of State College (enrolment: 4,621 students in The other six are the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia (10,974 students, 1934-35), University of Pitts burgh at Pittsburgh (10,43o students, 1934-35), Temple uni versity and the Women's Medical college at Philadelphia, Jeffer son Medical college and Hahnemann Medical college. Of these the first named is State owned and relies upon public rev enue for its main support, having but $517,000 productive funds in 1935.

Charities and Corrections.

Penal and charitable institutions are under the supervision of the State welfare department. The western penitentiary at Allegheny opened in 1826, and the eastern penitentiary at Philadelphia opened in 1829. The eastern peniten tiary now occupying two sites, at Philadelphia and at Graterford had a total of 3,143 inmates on May 31, 1935. The western peni tentiary at Pittsburgh and Rockview had 2,004. Besides these institutions the State maintains industrial schools at Huntington (1,247 inmates in 1935) and at Morganza (573 inmates) and an industrial home for women at Muncy (265 inmates). There are eight hospitals for mental disorders : Allentown (1,634 inmates in 1935), Danville (1,915), Fairview (791), Harrisburg (1,905), Norristown (3,483), Torrance (1,628), Warren (2,048), and Wer nersville (1,374) ; three institutions for the feeble minded: Laurelton (67o inmates), Pennhurst (1,742), and Polk (2,924) ; and one epileptic colony: Selinsgrove (441). The ten general hospitals in the State are at Ashland, Blossburg, Coaldale, Con nellsville, Hazleton, Locust Mountain, Nanticoke, Philipsburg, Scranton, and Shamokin.

Demands for relief of the unemployed during the depression exceeded the State's ability to raise funds. Of the $146,278,585 disbursed for this purpose in had to be supplied by the Federal government.

Agriculture.

Although Pennsylvania is a mining and manu facturing rather than an agricultural State, its farming interests are more extensive than is generally supposed. In 1930 about half of • its area was in farms and a little over half of its farm land was improved.