Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/591

 CHARITY — FINANCE, DEFENCE — PRODUCTION, ETC. 469

Kentucky has a law for compulsory attendance at school between the ages of 7 and 14 years for eight consecutive weeks, but in the larger cities, for the fall term. In 1911 the common elementary schools of the State had 11,185 teachers and 740,343 enrolled pupils, of whom 655,252 were white and 85,091 coloured. 147 public high schools had 471 teachers and 9,677 pupils. The State had 4 public normal scliools with 55 teachers and 2,743 students in 1910. For superior instruction there are universities and colleges, the more imjiortant of which (1910) were as follows : —

Begun

1822 1855 183n 1837

Institutions

Staff Students

Central University of Kentucky, Danville (Presb.). . i 35 245

Berea College (non-Sect.) 07 l'^'^*^

Kentucky University (State) j (i7 '"'54

Universitv of Louisville, ^'^^ ^'^^

The State Agricultural College has 103 professors and 2,308 students.

Charity- — Exclusive of almshouses and asylums for the insane, &c., Kentucky has 82 benevolent institutions, most of which have been provided by private persons or ecclesiastical bodies. They comprise 29 hospitals (six public), 26 orphanages, 25 homes for adults (one public), and two schools for the deaf and blind (both public). County courts provide fur support of the poor, erect and maintain poorhou^es, and appoint poorhouse commissioners, who may compel able-bodied paupers in the poorhous'j; to labour. it is

unlawful to bring paupers from one county to another. On January 1, 1905,

the almshouses had 1,702 pauper inmates (306 coloured).

Finance, Defence.— The balance sheet for 1909 of the general expendi- ture fund shows the amount available ior the fund to be 2,696,650 dollars, and the cash in the treasury to be 336,873 dollars; total assets available, 3,033,523 dollars. The expenditure amounted to 4,237,478 dollar.s, showing a deficit of 1,203,954 dollars.

The only bonded debt of the State is 2,315,627 dollars, the interest of which goes to the school fund.

The total value of all property in the State in 1904 was estimated at : —

Dollars

Real property 859,247,997

Personal property ...... 668,238,233

Total 1,527,486,230

In 1910 the State Militia, or the Kentucky National Guard, consisted of 3 regiments of infantry, and hospital corps ; total strength, 1,712 men and officers.

Production and Industry-— Kentucky is largely an agricultural State. In 1910 the farm area v,'as -22,189,127 acres, of which 14,354,471 acres was improved land. The central portion of the State contains the "blue grass region " which, having a rich soil, produces cereals, grasses and fruits of fine quality. In 1912 the maize crop amounted to 109,440,000 bushels; and the wheat crop to 6,860,000 bushels, other farm products being hay, potatoes, sweet potatoes, water-melons, and fruits of many sorts. The chief crop however is tobacco, under which in 1912 were 441,000 acres, yielding 343,980,000 pounds, valued at 29,926,000 dollars.