Commerce.— The imports at Mobile arrive mostly from Mexico and comprise tropical fruits, chiefly bananas and sisal grass. Total in 1911 was $4,031,737. Raw cotton, the prin cipal export, averages annually over $12,050,000; timber, lumber, etc., $6,800,000; cereals and flour, $2,950,000; lard, $1,800,000; besides cattle, mules, swine and sheep, flax-seed and oil, tobacco, sugar, hops, fruits and nuts. Total export 1911 equaled $30,151,561.
Banks and Finance.— There are in the State 93 national banks with resources of $60,746,000; 205 State banks with resources of $32,189,445; 41 loan and trust companies with resources of $22,534,555; and 11 savings banks with resources of $1,572,282. The capital of the national banks aggregates $9,700,000, and they have annual deposits totaling $35,935,708. in 1915 there were seven banks in Birmingham with deposits of $24,147,379; five banks at Mo bile with deposits of $11,724,786; seven banks at Montgomery with deposits of $6,031,383; and five banks at Selma with deposits of $3,763, 169. The State now has an officer, the bank charged with stated and frequent examinations of private banks. Some of the more lately constructed bank buildings are equal .in magnificence of appointments to the best in the United States. Alabama, according to the council of the Corporation of Foreign Bond holders, has a defaulted debt estimated at $30, 000,000, but the State denies any liability for such estimated indebtedness, having legally ad justed all claims. Unauthorized charges for which no warrants were issued make up the amount claimed. The bonded debt in 1915 amounted to $9,057,000; the assessed value of real property was $389,741,082; of personal property, $236,417,740; total assessed value, $6,150,822. The revenue is derived mostly from taxes on property of all kinds and partly from occupation taxes. The assessment is made at 60 per cent of the cash value for State and county purposes by the county assessors on the sworn statements of the taxpayers. The receipts in 1914-15 (year ended 30 Sept. 1915) amounted, with the previous year's balance of $180,196, to $6,874,734; disbursements amounted to $7,830,045, leaving a deficit of $955,311.
The present State Constitution limits the power of the legislature to levy in any one year a greater rate than 654 mills on the dollar State taxes. No county may levy a tax ex ceeding one-half of 1 per cent by State as sessment, except for old debts and school pur poses. Incorporated cities are subject to same limitation of power of taxation that applies to counties. The State can contract no new debt except that the governor may borrow $34A 000. The governor has authority under the State Constitution to extend the present bond ed debt of the State. The State bonds of all classes are now above par. Of the State taxes, 30 cents on $100 is applied to the maintenance of the public schools and 25 cents is applied to general purposes, including pensions to in digent Confederate soldiers and widows of Confederate soldiers, salaries, etc. The State revenue is derived as follows: Tax on prop erty and polls, 60 per cent; licenses, 23 per cent; proceeds of convict labor, 18 per cent. About 50 per cent of the disbursements is ap plied to schools and charitable institutions; 16 per cent to pensions; 10 per cent to penal iv stitutions; about 6 per cent to interest on the bonded debt, and the remainder for miscel laneous subjects, including salaries of chiefs and employees of the State, the judiciary, the National Guard, etc.
Education.— There is a State superin tendent of education, an elective office, the term of which is four years. He has general supervision of the public schools and teachers.
The public school fund is derived from a State tax of three mills on the $100 assessable values, interest upon the sixteenth section fund and from appropriations by the State legislature together with certain smaller amounts fixed and provided by the legislature. Each county is authorized by a vote of its qualified electors to levy a county school tax of not more than four mills, 40 cents on each $100 of taxable values. The incorporated towns and cities share in all State taxes and in all county taxes. Each of them is also permitted to levy a municipal school tax of not more than three mills, 30 cents on each $100 of taxable values. The total expenditures for the year ending 30 Sept. 1917 from the above sources and including small incidental fees collected amounted to nearly $5,000,000. Each of the 67 counties may establish and maintain under the management of the State high school commission a county high school of standard grade to which an additional, annual appropriation of $3,000 is provided by the State. All but about half a dozen counties • have availed themselves of this privilege. Ten agri cultural high schools, one for each congres sional district, are also maintained under State management. Each receives a State appropria tion of $5,000 annually. Teachers' institutes are conducted in all the counties each year, under institute conductors appointed by the State superintendent of education. The term of compulsory attendance is 80 days annually, including all children 8 to 15 years, unless they have completed the common school course of seven grades. The State appropriates funds for the Alabama Industrial School for white boys and the Alabama Reform School for juvenile negroes. It aids the Alabama Home of Refuge for white girls and supports the Alabama School for Deaf and Blind. Six normal schools for the training of white teachers are supported and controlled by the State, as well as one normal school for negro teachers. The Alabama Girls' Technical Insti tute, the Polytechnic Institute (coeducational) and the State University (coeducational) are controlled and managed each by a separate board. Tuskegee Institute for the education and training of negroes, coeducational, is the most extensive educational plant in the State and the largest in the world for negroes. It was founded and developed by the late Booker T. Washington. The State makes an annual ap propriation to this school but exercises no con trol over its policies and management. A majority of its trustees are non-residents of Alabama. The Agricultural and Mechanical College for negroes is supported jointly by State appropriation and national funds. The governing board is self-perpetuating and local. All these State-supported institutions are in a satisfactory condition and are meeting the growing needs of the Commonwealth. In addi tion to the State schools and colleges there are many flourishing institutions under private or denominational control. Among them should be mentioned the following, either wholly or partly of college grade: Alabama Presbyterian College, Presbyterian (male) ; Alabama Synodi cal College, Presbyterian (female) ; Athens Female College, Methodist ; Birmingham Col lege, Methodist (male) ; Howard College, Bap tist (male) ; Judson College, Baptist (female) ; Loulie Compton Seminary, private (female) ; Marion Institute, private (male) ; Marion Fe male Seminary, Presbyterian; Saint Bernard College, Catholic (male) ; Southern University, Methodist (male) ; Spring Hill College, Cath olic (male) ; Talladega College (colored), Con gregational; Woman's College of Alabama, Methodist ( f em ale ) .