' The imports of merchandise into Norfolk, Newport News and Portsmouth during the year ending 30 June 1917 amounted to $17,986,946; Richmond, $767,399; Peters burg, $575,661; a total for the State of $19, 330,00& All exports were recorded at New port News, Norfolk and Portsmouth and amounted to $137,009,596. Hampton Roads is unsurpassed in harbor facilities—it is the largest and safest on the Atlantic Coast —and the cities on its shores are of great and in creasing importance in foreign, coastwise and internal commerce. In a decade Virginia im ports have increased fivefold and exports ten fold.
Banks and Banking.--At the close of busi ness 11 December 1917 there were in Virginia 148 national banks with a capital of $19,918,000 and deposits of $151,988,000, and 288 State banks and trust companies with a capital of $13,663,710 and deposits of $91,503,926,73. De posit. in the Federal Reserve Bank, Richmond, on 7 Dec. t917 were $97,149,000.
State of the State officers—governor, lieutenant-governor, attor ney-general, secretary of the commonwealth, commissioner of agriculture and immigration, superintendent of public instruction and State treasurer— are elected by the people every four year5, Thy ad)utpin-general and Pie Mellgicr* of the Corporation Commission are appointed 1,y the governor, and other commissioners and the judiciary are elected by the legislature. The legislature is elected every four years and meets biennially in even years in sessions limited to 60 days, which may be extended without pay. The governor's salary', $5,000. Representatives in Congress are 10. The present constitution was proclaimed in 1902.
State Finances.—On 1 Oct. 1916, the State debt was $23,347,125.97, of which $5,518,754.16 were Riddleberger bonds (Act 1882), $15,360, 765.96 Century bonds (Act 1892) and $2,467, 605.85 the school and college and asylum and church certificate debt. The assessed valuation —about two-thirds of the actual value— on the land books of 1916 was: Personal property, $343.119,228; real estate, $627,025,643; mineral lands, minerals, improvements, machinery, etc., tinder development, $9,180,894; mineral lands, minerals, etc., not under development, $17, 951,995; standing timber, $1,725,557. Receipts (including balance, etc.) for the year ending 30 Sept. 1916 wcre $8,797,303.01; disbursements (including $119,423.92 paid to sinking- fund), $8,440,340.05. The balance, 1 Oct. 1916, was $356,962.96.
Charities and Corrections.— The State pro vides four hospitals for the insane— the East ( rn at Williamsburg, the Western at Staunton, the Southwestern at Marion and the Central, for colored insane, at Petersburg—an epileptic (olony and a colony for the feeble-minded (Madison Heights), two sanatoria for the tuber culous (Catawba and Charlotteville), a school for the deaf and blind (Staunton), one for colored deaf and blind (Newport News). Pri vate philanthropy maintains 33 orphanages, 7 foundling hospitals, 2 placing-out agencies, 3 travelers' aid societies, 4 juvenile protective as sociations, 8 Salvation Armies, 3 industrial schools, 15 organized charity associations, 8 social settlements, 10 homes for the aged, 12 visiting nurse associations, 6 dispen saries (not connected with medical colleges as hospitals, of which 23 do charity work), and 7 maternity and rescue hospitals. In
1916 2,532 white persons and 2,366 colored were supported in almshouses at an annual per capita cost of $123.29; 3,037 white and 2,901 colored were given outdoor relief. There were 741 convicts in the penitentiary 30 Sept. 1916; 878 were received during the year (56 less than the previous year) ; released by discharge, death, pardon and escape, 891; per capita cost of maintenance for the year (based upon opera lion and average attendance), $160.96. Jail conunitments in 1916, 29,426, a decrease of 2,599 from 1915.
Education.-- The Virginia free school tem dates from 1870. It is controlled by the' State Board of Education,.composed of the gov ernor, the attDrney-general, the superintendent . of public instruction, three members from the ' faculties of State institutions for higher educa-1 tion, one county and one city stmerintendent of sc.hoots. In 1915. the public school population. (between the ages of 7 and 21) WaS 657,513:, timber of schools, 12,343; pupils enrolled, 47LP, 210; teachers, 12,507; revenue, $7,215.602.57; total cost of the public schools, $7,047,713.71. ' For technical and advanced education the State has made provision as follows: The University Charlintesvillo; Virginia Military, Institute, Lexington; William and Mary Col lege, Williamsburg; Virginia Polytechnic Insti tute, Blacksburg; four female normal schools (at Farmville, Radford, Harrisonburg and Fredericksburg). In addition to these are Washington and Lee University' located at Lex ington, and colleges founded by religious de nominations, as follows: Randolph-Macon College for men, Ashland; for women, Lynch burg; Hampden-Sidney College, near Farm ville; Emory and Henry, at Emory; Richmond College (coeducational), Richmond; Roanoke College (coeducational), Salem; Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, and Lynchburg College (formerly Virginia Christian College), Lynch burg. Hollins College, at Hollins, Martha Washington College, Abingdon, and Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, are institutions for the higher education of women, as is Westhampton College, Richmond, co-ordi nate with Richmond College. The Miller Man ual Labor School in Albemarle County is an in dustrial school for orphans and half orphans, and Blue Ridge Industrial School for moun tain boys and girls. There are law schools at the University of Virginia, Washington and Lee University- and Richmond College, and for medical education a school at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and the Medical Col lege of Virginia, Richmond; theological semi naries for white students at Richmond and Alexandria, and for colored at Richmond, Lynchburg and Petersburg. For the higher edu cation of colored students are the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, at Hamp ton, and thc Viriginia Normal and Industrial Institute.at Petersburg.