Utah

The executive officials are the governor, secretary of State, State auditor, State treasurer, attorney-general and superintendent of public instruction. The auditor and treasurer are ineligible to election as their own successors. The governor and secretary of State must be at least 3o years of age, the attorney-general at least 25 and in good standing at the bar. The governor has the right of veto unless overruled by the bill repassing with a two thirds majority in both houses. The governor, justice of the supreme court and attorney-general compose the board of pardons.

The judicial power is vested in the senate sitting as a court of impeachment, a State supreme court, district courts, city courts, justices of the peace and other courts inferior to the supreme court as established by law.

Finance.

There are several major sources of State revenue. The most important is the general property tax. In 1935 this amounted to 9.5 mills on an assessed valuation of taxable property amounting to $528,830,745 estimated at 70% of the true valuation with 76.8% of the collections being for educational purposes. In the following year a six-mill levy devoted entirely to education produced $4,674,113 from property valued at $525,000,000. An other important source is the special taxes, such as the tax on gaso lene sold and fees for motor vehicle registration, a source yielding $3,728,834, or 14.83% of the revenue. A third important source in 1936 was an emergency revenue levy totalling $2,879,937. A fourth source is the income received from the Federal Government. In 1936 this included $3,126,192 for road construction and $3,198,616 for emergency relief. Non-revenue sources, including fees from State officials and State institutions, amounted to $1,490,906. Mis cellaneous revenue, including income from income, estate and sales taxes, reached $6,049,873.

Total receipts for the period amounted to $25,149,196 and total disbursements to $23,427,930. Of the disbursements 24.6o% or $5,763,304 went for educational purposes ; 28.25% or $6,618,250 for highways; 25.84% or $6,054,840 for relief, and the remainder for miscellaneous purposes including the salaries and expenses of State officials, and the financing of the State industrial school, State mental hospital, State prison and school for the deaf and blind. The bonded indebtedness of Utah amounted to $10,573,000 in 1936. Of this $7,000,000 was for roads and $1,010,000 for the capitol building fund. A sinking fund of $6,212,500 covered nearly 6o% of the debt. The debt of local units is considerably larger. Thus in 1932 when the State debt was or $11.08 per capita, counties owed $4,116,606 or $8.01 and cities and towns

$18,678,594, or $50.66.

Utah banks have been very successful. The first bank in Utah, established by the Walker brothers in Salt Lake City in 1859, and the Deseret National Bank, the first national bank established by Brigham Young in 1872, are still doing business. For many years banking was handled mostly by important Mormon officials and such strong confidence was developed that during the severe panic of 1893 not a bank closed its doors. In 1935 there were 59 banking institutions in Utah with capital and surplus of $16,000, 000, resources of $138,600,000, and savings deposits of $51,600, 000. Thirteen were national banks. The savings deposits had increased from $51,600,000 in 1920 to $69,000,000 in 1930.

Education.

In Utah school attendance for at least 20 weeks annually is compulsory for all children from 8 to 18 years of age, unless they are lawfully excused. As a result 142,797 pupils, or 90% of a school census population of 157,800, were enrolled in 101,196 of these were grade pupils and 41,601 high school. There were 2,356 elementary school teachers, 768 junior high school teachers and 881 high school teachers. Much money has been spent in the consolidation of rural schools. Buses are used to carry the children from smaller districts. As a result figures for 1933-34 show that Utah was the only State in the Union having over 90% of its school buildings larger than one room (90.98%). There were 668 elementary schools, 143 high schools and 5 professional schools in the public system in while the corresponding figures for private schools were II, 8 and4.

The expenditure for education in Utah increased from $30.76 per caput of the school population in 1909-10 to $55.81 in 34. In 1920 slightly over one-third of the total public expenditure, State and local, was for education, and in this ratio Utah was ex ceeded only by Montana. In 1934 this proportion was even greater. The income for education in 1933-34 was $8,213,046, of which was provided by a tax of 6.74 mills, $2,788,273 by county taxes, and $2,005,181 by local taxes. The expenditure for education in 1933-34 totalled Expenses for in struction were $5,316,258 and for operation $723,733. The aver age salary for teachers, supervisors and principals was Private and parochial schools employed only 93 teachers for the enrolment was but 1,465, a figure surpassed by all States but Nevada. City, State and county expenditures for education were $11,202,287 during 1935-36. Of this sum, the State spent $5,763, 304, as well as a portion of funds donated for emergency relief by the Federal Government.