South Dakota

The State institutions of higher learning are controlled by the regents of education, five in number, appointed by the governor for terms of six years. Each institution is administered by its president. The University of South Dakota is located at Vermil lion. Its faculty in 1934-35 numbered 90 and its enrolment was 785. The university has charge of the geological and natural his tory survey of the State, of the State health laboratory and the State chemical laboratory. At Brookings the South Dakota col lege of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts is located, with an enrol ment in 1934-35 of 774 and a teaching staff of 94. Preparatory work and vocational courses have been gradually dropped so that the institution can concentrate on work of college level. The State School of Mines at Rapid City, in the Black Hills, enrolled 272 students in 1934-35. It issues numerous publications, among them The Black Hills Engineer. There are several independent and de nominational colleges among which some of the most important are Huron college under Presbyterian auspices at Huron enrolment 272, faculty 31) ; Yankton college, a non-sectarian school at Yankton (1934-35 enrolment 364, faculty 33) ; and Sioux Falls, a Baptist institution at the town of the same name enrolment 296, faculty 26). Also at Sioux Falls is Augustana col lege, maintained by the Norwegian Lutherans, with an enrolment of 409 and a faculty of 32.

Charities and Corrections.

The State penitentiary situated at Sioux Falls had 463 inmates in July 1926. A printing depart ment, farm garden and twine plant are operated, the latter making a net profit of $40,239 for the year 1925-26. The State hospital for the insane at Yankton had in the same year 1,550 patients. This institution keeps a large farm, and the labour of its patients has financed the purchase of a vacationing park on the James river where a club-house has been erected for their use. At Redfield is the school and home for the feeble minded, an institution with 500 inmates in 1935. The State training school for delinquent boys and girls is located at Plankinton and had about 140 pupils in 1935.

A soldiers' home is maintained at Hot Springs, in the Black Hills, open to both soldiers and their wives.

Finance.

The total wealth of South Dakota was estimated in 1929 to be $3,419,000,000. This amounted to $4,964 per capita, a higher average than that of any other State in the United States except Wyoming. For assessment purposes property subject to general property tax was valued in 1932 at $1,509,000,000. Of this $1,136,000,000 was classified as real property and $373,000, 000 as personal property.

The total revenues of the State government of South Dakota in 1932 were $17,330,000 (or $24.79 for each inhabitant), of which $9492,000 were raised by taxes. The combined revenues of the various local governmental units in the State for 1932 came to $34,750,000 (or per capita), of which $27,354,000 were raised by taxes—almost wholly on general property. Thus

total revenues, State and local, were $52,080,000 (or $74.50 per capita). The gross debts of the local jurisdictions less sinking fund assets amounted to $35,577,000 (or $50.90 per capita). At the same time the gross debt less sinking fund assets for the State proper was $15,510,000 (or $22.19 per capita), making a com bined figure for the State at large of $51,087,000 (or $73.09 per capita).

There were, on June 30, 1934, 212 banks (64 of them national banks) with total resources and liabilities of $86,801,000 and cap ital, surplus and undivided profits of $13,984.000. Their deposits totalled $65,788,000, of which time deposits made up $27,301,000. Agriculture and Livestock.—Agriculture is South Dakota's most important industry, and nearly 90% of its population are probably either directly engaged in it or engaged in industries directly dependent upon it. Of the total population 390,205, or 56.3%, were counted as farm population in 1930.

The value of all crops fluctuates widely from year to year de pending on crop conditions and prices. In 1924, a good year in general, it was $245,606,000, in 1925, and in an extremely poor year, $28,233,000. In 1919, when prices were high, the crop value was $311,007,000. In the depression follow ing the World War the farming industry suffered most severely. The period following the panic of 1929, attended as it was by a succession of bad droughts. was even more disastrous and brought the value of farm lands and buildings in the State down to a total of $693,323 as against $1.437,288 in 1925.

About the middle of the Twenties Indian corn (or maize) be came the leading crop of South Dakota, valued at $46,281,000 in 1926. Up to 1900, little Indian corn was grown because only a few existing varieties would mature in most parts of the State, but the development of new varieties and acclimatization has made it now dependable in almost all sections. Its production is heaviest, however, in the south-eastern counties and decreases with the distance from the south-east corner. The crop has lat terly fallen off both in quantity and in value, the figures standing in 1933 at 41,054,000 bu. or $19,295,000; in 1934 at 12,722,000 bu. or $12,213,000; and in 1935 at 52,248,000 bu. or $23,512,000.

For many years wheat was the largest money-producing crop of the State, and in good years it still rivals Indian corn for first place. Raised chiefly in the northern section, its yield varies widely, ranging from 31, 835,000 bu. with a value of $40,734,000 in 1925 down to 598,000 bu. with a value of $580,000 in 1934 and then ris ing abruptly in 1935 to 30,822, 000 bu. with a value of $27, The oat crop, valued at over $40,000,000 in 1924 fell to $1,726,000 in 1934 but rose again in 1935 to 000. Other leading crops in 1935 were barley, valued at $13,370,000; tame hay, valued at $3,698,000; rye, valued at $2,256,000; potatoes, valued at $1,700,000; and flaxseed, valued at $1,322,400.